Without the Joker
by WinnieCocoaFlip
Summary: What would have happened if Amu had refused the guardians? What would have happened if not all of Amu's guardian characters had stayed? What would have happened if Amu got a second chance, but blew it? How would the guardians fare against Easter? On-Hold.
1. Resisting The Change

**This story is about what happened if Hinamori Amu hadn't joined the guardians at all.**

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><p><span>Chapter 1:<span>

Hinamori Amu walked through the school grounds while kids chanted her name and called her "Cool" and "Sassy."

_They are such a bother_, she thought. _But it's my character… eh, can't be helped_. The attention shifted from Amu, to the guardians, while Amu's attention shifted from going to the boring meeting, to the contents in her bag. _Last night, I got sick of not using my emotions and hiding under my outside character. Then, the next morning weird colorful eggs appeared. I blame it all on that fat lady on TV who got weird thoughts into my head about magical guardians who look over us. I consider my outside character to be my guardian, ok?_ Amu pushed her inner guilt and feelings about longing of a friend aside.

Amu's eggs started to fall out of her bag. "Get back in there!" Amu hissed as she shoved them back into her bag.

Hotori Tadase, the king chair of the guardians, saw Amu's eggs. He walked over to her, but before he could say anything, she slapped him and walked away.

"Back off" she said. The other students gasped when they saw Amu slap the king chair of the guardians.

Hotori Tadase turned to the other guardians. "She has guardian characters" he said.

"Yeah, she has three of them! I saw it!" Yaya Yuiki, the ace chair, said cheerfully.

"She might be what we need, but her current character isn't great…" Kukai Soma, the jack chair, said.

"Be optimistic Soma-kun, her guardian characters will help change her character, and she'll be a perfect addition to the guardians." Nadeshiko Fujisaki, the queen chair, replied.

At the meeting:

Amu sat in her seat, completely uninterested, and tuned out everything that they said. She stared at the king chair. _So I have a tiny measly crush, it'll pass in time_. She thought.

What happened next was completely embarrassing. The red egg willed Amu to stand up and raise her hand in the air.

"What's your suggestion Hinamori-san?" Tadase asked.

Amu realized that she raised her hand and pulled it down and said, "Sorry, I forgot. Continue with the meeting." _A heart shaped pin, a voice saying "character change", the eggs are guardian characters! Oh, I am going to destroy the one with hearts. IT almost made me confess!_ Amu thought. Amu casually walked out of the school building, and away from the meeting while thinking of ways to get rid of the eggs.

Nadeshiko: 

I noticed Hinamori-san walk out. I tapped Hotori-kun on the shoulder, "she's leaving. Now is your chance to get her to join us!" I whispered.

Soma-kun overheard us and walked to the podium. "I'll take over the meeting from here on. Hotori, you can take a break ok?"

"Right, good luck" Hotori-kun said to us as he walked out of the room.

Outside: 

When Amu found herself stuck in a hole at a construction site, she knew she did something wrong. She had been too busy messing with the red egg. "Just my luck, I landed in a hole that is way too tall for me to climb out. I NEED TO GET OUT!" She said.

"I can fix the problem!" a voice shouted.

_No…_ Amu thought. Little pink trinkets appeared while the red egg hatched into a guardian character.

"Hi! My name is Ran! I'm your guardian character" the hearts guardian character said. "Hop, Step, Jump!"

Amu shot up into the air, but stopped the character change as soon as they got out of the hole. "You were the one who did it right?" Amu said clutching Ran. "Listen, I don't want guardian whatevers. I don't want your crazy antics, so just go away and disappear forever! What you tried to pull at the meeting was way too crazy."

"Amu-chan, it's ok, it would have turned out great! You never,"

"Maybe you didn't hear me, please go away ok?"

The hearts character burst into tears as Amu heartlessly tossed her to the side. "But Amu-chan…."

However, a guy with cat ears and a tail blocked her way. He saw the crying guardian character. "So, it hatched."

"There's two more!" His guardian character exclaimed.

"You want them? Take them." Amu threw the remaining two eggs to the cat guy. She walked away.

"That was way too easy." Ikuto Tsukiyomi, the cat guy, said.

The hearts character gasped, _Amu-chan just let him take Miki and Su!_

"You got that right." Yoru, his guardian character, replied. "Now we have the humpty lock and two possible embryos!"

It was at that moment that Tadase Hotori arrived at the construction site and found the crying hearts guardian character and Ikuto with the other two. Tadase walked over to the hearts character and picked her up. He turned to Ikuto, "Tsukiyomi Ikuto, if the first one hatched into a guardian character, don't you think that the remaining would also hatch into characters too?"

"I don't know, I can never be too sure, Tadase" Ikuto replied. He took the humpty lock from Yoru. "Time to go"

"Tsukiyomi Ikuto, I won't let you steal guardian characters or the humpty lock!" Tadase shouted.

"What are YOU going to do about it?" Ikuto asked.

Kiseki, Tadase's guardian character appeared, "Character change?"

"Yeah," Tadase replied. They character changed and Tadase used Holy Crown against Ikuto. When Ikuto dodged, he lost his grip on the eggs.

"No! Save them, please!" Ran was desperate.

"Holy Crown," Tadase used the attack as something for the eggs to land on, but instead of breaking the fall, the eggs bounced off. The blue spades egg fell on the ground and shattered its pieces were scattered everywhere. The green clovers egg fell into a nearby well. It didn't make a sound.

"Oops, my bad, I guess we'll just have to stick with the humpty lock" Ikuto said. "Bye, Tadase."

Tadase and Kiseki un-character changed. "Oh no... this is bad." Tadase said.

"The guardian characters are probably gone for good" Kiseki said.

"NO! No, no, no! Miki and Su cannot be gone! What am I going to do?" Ran started to get really upset.

"Calm down commoner, what's your name?" Kiseki asked.

"Ran"

"It'll be ok Ran. We have some glue back at the garden, so we might be able to patch the blue egg up" Tadase said.

"Miki…. Her name is Miki, but what about Su?"

"Right, we'll also have a guardian meeting and decided how we'll rescue Su, ok?" Tadase then carefully gathered up the pieces of Miki's egg.

Nadeshiko: 

Hotori-kun took quite a while to return, so, I volunteered to search for him. The meeting is over now, and he's going to be late to our meeting. I found the construction site, there I saw Hotori-kun gathering what looked like broken egg pieces with Kiseki and a crying shugo chara. Hinamori-san was nowhere to be seen, though.

"Hotori-kun, what happened here?" I ask. It is obvious that something had gone wrong. Hotori-kun pointed to the crying chara, to the broken egg, and then to the well. "Ran, Miki, and Su, they're Hinamori-san's guardian characters"

I didn't need to hear anything else. I figured out what happened as soon as he said that. "I'll talk Soma-kun into trying to get Su out of the well. For now, let's take Ran and Miki back to the royal garden. We're late."

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><p><strong>Note: All of Amu's parts are going to be in third person. Nadeshiko's and the other guardian's parts are going to be in first person.<strong>

**Tell me what you thought of the chapter! Sorry, that Amu seems kind of harsh….. **

**PS: I have no idea whether Amu is going to be recurring character or not, but she's not gonna be a main character. This story mainly focuses on what THE GUARDIANS would have done if Amu hadn't joined. **


	2. Ace of Spades

**I present the second chapter of my story! :D **

**I worked very hard on this, so please tell me what you thought ok? It took me FOREVER to finish!**

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><p><span>Chapter 2: Ace of Spades<span>

Kukai: 

I sat in the royal garden, COMPLETELY bored. Apparently, not as bored as Yaya-chan though, she was groaning and pacing back and forth. Ugh Fujisaki and Hotori were taking way too long to get back. I leaned back in the chair, and put my feet on the table. The garden looked like it usually does, full of flowers and stuff like that. Usually it was so BRIGHT because the sun would seep through the window on the ceiling or whatever it was called, but today it was really dark and cloudy. I swear it came out of nowhere; it was really sunny during the meeting earlier today.

"I CAN'T BELIEVE THEM! WHY WOULD THEY TAKE SO LONG! Keeping us waiting…." Yaya blew her top and started to rant and complain. Typical of a baby character though. I glanced at Pepe, Yaya's guardian character, to see if she character changed with Yaya. Oddly enough though, she hadn't.

Thunder sounded in the sky and Yaya shrieked. Soon enough, lighting would strike and it would rain. "Where's Naddy and Tadase? They have to get here so they can protect me!" Yaya said. She freaked out at the lightning and dove under the table, knocking over the tea and treats.

I felt kind of insulted. Here I was, the best and most awesome guardian and she thinks I can't protect her? Then again, it would be kind of a hassle, considering her baby character. "Careful Yaya, you're going to spill all of the food!" I said. I was hungry, but Yaya had insisted on waiting until Fujisaki and Hotori got back to eat.

Just as the rain started to pour, Fujisaki and Hotori entered the room. Boy did they look distressed. They seemed to be talking about Easter again as they entered. I sat upright in my chair and put my feet off the table, and Yaya climbed back onto her chair. We both looked at them with concern and asked, "What happened?"

They didn't answer us and once again I felt insulted. Hotori simply put the contents that were in his hand onto a clean empty plate. It was the pieces of a broken egg, a guardian egg. It was blue with black spades on it. "Whose egg is that?" I asked, but once again, they didn't answer.

"Yuiki-san do you think you can fix it?" Hotori asked Yaya. "Hmm…." Yaya got out a magnifying glass and over exaggerated inspecting the broken egg pieces. "I think it's doable" Yaya said in a fake accent while stroking a fake beard. "Whose egg is this anyway?" Yaya asked speaking in her normal voice although she seemed too engrossed in asking Fujisaki to get glue and figuring out where the pieces went. I had to admit, this surprised me, three years with the girl and I never figured out that she liked to do puzzles like these.

Hotori answered anyway, "It belongs to Hinamori-san. She gave her characters up to Tsukiyomi Ikuto, but I managed to get two of her characters back. Not unharmed unfortunately."

I was confused, and Yaya looked too preoccupied to ask. "Wait, if you got two of them back, then where is the other one?"

Nadeshiko (Just a few seconds before): 

I tore through the closet searching for the special chara glue. It was designed especially for repairing shugo tamagos. I finally found it sitting on the shelf. I grabbed it and took it to Yaya-chan. I arrived in time to hear Soma-kun's question, "Wait, if you got two of them back, then where is the other one?"

Hotori-kun pointed behind his shoulder where Ran-chan poked out from behind his shoulder. Kiseki-kun carefully pushed Ran-chan out onto the table, "The commoner needed some encouragement just to get near you guys" Kiseki-kun stated. Ran-chan looked very nervous. It wasn't because of the guardians, but rather because of Miki-chan and Su-chan being gone.

Soma-kun looked a little fascinated, but then he smiled, "Cool! So Hinamori has two guardian charas?" He, Pepe-chan, Kiseki-kun, Temari (my shugo chara), and Daichi-kun(Soma-kun's shugo chara) played with Ran-chan.

At these words, I exchanged a look with Hotori-kun. We were thinking the same thing: _we need to get Soma-kun to help with Su-chan. _It would help to get Su-chan back, but the well Su-chan fell in is way too deep and we need someone with athletic ability to get it. After a nod from Hotori-kun, who looked pretty stressed, I cleared my throat to get Soma-kun's attention. As soon as he looked over at me I told him about Su-chan.

Soma-kun looked at me with disbelief. He stressed almost every syllable "YOU want ME to go out in the RAIN and go to the CLOSED construction site and fetch a character from a DEEP and NARROW well? You can't be serious, there's THUNDER and LIGHTNING out there! It's POURING rain!" Soma-kun was quite flabbergasted and now I felt kind of ridiculous asking him. It really was raining like heck out there.

"Please don't remind me…" I turned my head to see Yaya-chan shaking obviously terrified of the storm outside. She took a deep breath and put on a serious face and started to work on gluing Miki-san's shugo tamago back together.

Hotori-kun grabbed our attention again by saying, "Soma-kun I can understand how you don't want to do it right now, but maybe you could possibly…" I felt a faint breeze. I turned to see Soma-kun character changed and rushing to the door with an umbrella. He looked rather excited, and I honestly couldn't understand why. I poked Hotori-kun before he could continue and pointed over to Soma-kun when I had his attention.

He waved at us before he hopped on his skateboard, "If you don't mind Hotori, I'm going to go out there anyway. It seems like a great challenge. Don't mind me if I come end up getting sick though!" Now I could understand why. _I remember getting psyched at times too, back when I was-_

My thoughts got cut off by Yaya-chan and Ran-chan. Ran-chan was smiling and actually hopeful that things might get better. "Maybe Amu-chan might actually believe in us!" She said. Yaya-chan on the other hand, had successfully pieced together half of Miki's tamago, and was celebrating.

I glanced over at Hotori-kun who nervously shifted in his seat looking stressed. He was obviously either worried about the guardian duties we wouldn't get done today, or about Tsukiyomi Ikuto getting the humpty lock. I gave him a reassuring look, "Don't worry Hotori-kun we'll get the humpty lock back. Now, do you have any paperwork for me to do?"

Hotori-kun sat up straight, gave a somewhat convincing smile and said, "Arigato Fujisaki-san, I'll take most of the paperwork home, but there is some work that we need to do concerning some new transfer students" I nodded and finally took a seat.

Kukai: 

I took off down the street, character changed and riding a skateboard while holding an umbrella to keep me dry. "I am so going to be sick tomorrow... " I muttered to myself as I arrived at the construction site and rode over to the well. You wouldn't believe how deep the stupid well was! It seemed to reach on forever, and was there even any water in it? I sighed, it's going to be a long way down, and I'm going to have to ditch my umbrella since it won't fit. I hacked my brain to try to think of what compelled me to go out in the rain to search for an egg in a well like this one.

Daichi and I tilted our board at an angle so that it could glide down the well (it had somehow worked!), and we zoomed down. After a few minutes, we FINALLY reached the bottom and were not surprised to not see the egg, but even more surprised to see a small character in a green dress with a frilly apron, blonde hair and a clover shaped pin. _I so should have-_

Yaya: 

I was in a trance, having a feeling that I had never felt before… I CAN'T BELIEVE I DIDIN'T KNOW HOW MUCH I LOVED PUZZLES! Maybe Tadase knows more about me than I do, but that's just creepy. I glued the edges of the last piece of Miki-tan's egg and slowly slid it in. Carefully…carefully…. "Done, Miki-tan's egg is all fixed now!" I carefully putting the plate that Miki-tan's egg sat on onto the bookshelf, and then started running around the garden. What can I say? I WAS HAPPY! "Ha ha, Yaya is the ace of the spades egg! Be sure to tell me when you have another project for Yaya to work on!"

Naddy and Tadase stopped doing their BORING guardian work, and looked up. "You fixed it? That's great!" and "Thanks Yuiki-san" Ran-chii even said, "ARE YOU SERIOUS? MIKI IS GONNA BE OK? THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU SO MUCH!" We all celebrated.

I looked around completely confused, "Hey, where's Kukai?" I frantically looked everywhere, in the actual garden and under the table, but he wasn't there! "Soma-kun left earlier to go search for Su-chan" Naddy explained. I was still utterly confused. When did he leave? Why didn't he tell us?

Just then, lightning and thunder struck and I shrieked and dove under the table. "THUNDER AND LIGHTNING ARE SO SCARY! WHO INVENTED IT? MAKE IT GO AWAY!" I shouted as I cowered beneath the table. _I'll admit I-_

THAT'S when Kukai decided to cut off my thoughts and burst into the room soaking wet and panting. Tadase and Naddy immediately stopped celebrating and rushed over to him and Ran-chii followed. I rushed over and complained to him about how he left without telling me and stuff like that.

"Yaya, you do know I announced it when I left right?" Kukai said. I stared…. I really had no clue, maybe I was too focused on gluing Miki's egg back together…. LIKE THE ACE OF SPADES! :D.

Anyway, Kukai was explaining how he found Su-san. "Turns out Hotori, that the water broke her fall, and she hatched. Must have been a result from something Hinamori did today."

Naddy and Tadase looked REALLY relieved. I didn't understand what was happening and was just confused. But that's when a cute little guardian character appeared. "Hello! I'm Su, desu!"

I could tell that Su-chii was going to be lots of fun! I immediately introduced myself, "I'm Yuiki Yaya, but you can call me Yaya!" Ran-chii rudely pushed past me and floated up to Su-chii to hug her. "Su I can't believe it! You're really here! You're okay!" Wow, Ran-chii looked so bright and shining full of hope! "Hey, maybe Naddy can help convince Hinamori-san to believe in you guys again!" I never felt so confident in my life!

"Yes, that'll be perfect!" Ran looked like she would bounce off the walls. At the time, the storm seemed to be way out of place, but it actually fit the situation better than we thought... and THIS is coming from ME.

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><p><strong>Writing from Yaya's point of view was the hardest thing in my life! Sorry if it's really bad. <strong>


	3. Remaking the Honey

**Enjoy the third chapter! **

**Note: Yaya calls Amu "Hinamori-san" because she doesn't really know her much and also because of the "vibe" that she sets off. **

Chapter 3: Remaking the Honey

Amu was walking to school the next morning. From what happened yesterday, a selected few had spotted her, smiled and called her "Amu-chan" instead of "Cool and Sassy". But that was only four people in total: Wakana, Manami, Yuki, and Misaki. Even so, they none of them really felt like her friends. Misaki is kind of high-strung and way in over her head and a little obsessive about her crushes on Kukai and Tadase, but of course no one tells her that. Wakana and Manami still felt like fan girls, and Amu just met Yuki yesterday when they were both stuck at school during the storm.

_What happened yesterday? _Amu wondered. _After school, Manami and Wakana managed to convince me to help them out with their project (I still have no idea what it was about even after doing what they wanted me to do), Misaki managed to rope me into helping her write a love letter or whatever, and I helped cheer Yuki up about moving to America when we were both left behind at school because it rained so hard. _Amu wasn't looking at where she was going and bumped into a girl with long purple hair.

Nadeshiko: 

I had been walking rather slowly that morning. I guess it was because I was keeping an eye out for Hinamori-san, so I return Ran-chan and Su-chan to her (and Miki-san, but the glue hadn't dried yet). We had decided that I could take Ran-chan and Su-chan home, because Hinamori-san wasn't at school by the time we finished the meeting. I looked down at my satchel. Ran-chan and Su-chan were sleeping on top of it and Temari sat next to them. _Hinamori-san has many shugo charas, and they could definitely bring out her true self together._ I bit my lip thinking of my secret, _I wish I could-_

Someone bumped into me and cut me off from my thoughts. I fell forward onto the concrete and landed on my right wrist. My satchel flew out of my other hand and it nearly slid into the street. I had scraped my knees a little and my wrist really hurt but other than that, I felt fine. I sat up and saw that Hinamori-san had bumped into me. She immediately bowed and apologized, and helped me stand up. I nodded and said, "Its fine, Hinamori-san."

I reached over to grab my satchel when I saw Temari helping Ran-chan and Su-chan out from under my satchel. I picked it up, and allowed the charas to fly out. I dusted off my satchel and glanced at Hinamori-san. She was staring at Temari, Ran-chan and Su-chan. "Those things floating in the air, they're guardian characters, aren't they? I'm guessing the one in the kimono belongs to you?" Su-chan was surprised at Hinamori-san's attitude, but Ran-chan looked a little stronger.

I was neither fazed nor impressed by her inferior attitude toward shugo charas. I decided that I would tell her about shugo charas, "Hinamori-san, Ran-chan and Su-chan are your shugo charas. They represent your would-be-self, or the person you want to be. Therefore, Ran-chan and Su-chan as well as Miki-san can help you achieve whatever goals you have."

Beside me, Ran-chan and Su-chan nodded their heads. "Amu-chan please give us a chance! We just want to help you discover your true self!" Ran-chan said. Su-chan added to it by saying, "Amu-chan we'll fade away if you don't believe in us!" Hinamori-san looked a little guilty for a moment. She tilted her head from side to side as if making a decision mentally in her head.

The pain that emitted from my wrist increased so I gripped it to try to cease the pain until I could go to the school nurse.

Later that day (Tadase): 

Things were a mess. Soma-kun was home sick, and Fujisaki-san had sprained her wrist and gotten an infection and was at the hospital. Yuiki-san had failed her math test and had to stay after to retake it. That left me alone for the meeting. In fact, the only good thing that had happened today was that Hinamori-san had given her guardian characters a chance.

I chewed on one of my nails, the first time since 1st grade that I've ever done so. I was nervous. I would have to do all of the guardian work for not only yesterday, but today as well. On top of that, I also had homework to do. Kiseki poked me on the shoulder and interrupted my thoughts just in time for me to hear the teacher calling my name. I replied, "Yes sensei?"

The teacher pointed to Hatoba-san and said, "Hatoba Yuki-san needs to speak with you." I nodded and got up from my chair. Hatoba-san most likely needed a request from me concerning her move to America. I walked into the hallway and stood across from Hatoba-san. "What do you need, Hatoba-san?" I asked.

"You know how I was moving to America? Well, it turns out, that both my mom and my dad found great job opportunities right here and I won't be leaving! So, you won't have to send any of my files away." Hatoba-san looked really happy about this news. I felt glad for her, since she had been rather upset and nervous when she first told me that she was leaving. "That's good news Hatoba-san. I'll be sure to make the changes" I said. After a "thanks" from Hatoba-san, we both went back to class.

Yuki: 

I returned to the fifth grade star class's art class. When I arrived, Sensei paired me with Wakana-san and she told me that we were going to draw each other using the techniques we learned. I modeled first and Wakana-san drew first. She told me to gaze at the window, which just happened to be the place where Amu-chan and Yamabuki-san (a very pretty and popular girl, leader of Hotori-kun's fan club and is very full of herself.) were drawing each other.

I observed them for the next few minutes while Wakana-san was drawing me (I didn't have anything else to do). Amu-chan was drawing Yamabuki-san, but she seemed to be having a hard time. Even from the other side of the room, I could see that the drawing was way out of proportion and all of the smudge marks made Yamabuki-san look like she had facial hair. Sensei and Yamabuki-san were not going to be happy when they saw the picture. I really hoped that things would turn out well.

Wakana-san had finished drawing me, "Hatoba-san, your portrait is finished!" She said cheerfully as she motioned for me to go and see what she had drawn. I smiled, it looked cute but more of a caricature than a portrait. I started to laugh. Wakana-san looked a little upset that I was laughing, "Um, do you not like it?" she said. "No, it looks great!" I said between laughs. Wakana-san tilted her head and started to giggle too. I sat down at my seat and got out a pencil and a pad of paper. "May I draw you now?" I asked. Wakana-san nodded and sat in a pose. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Amu-chan being yelled at by Yamabuki-san. I also saw two little fairy-like creatures fly up beside her. I've never seen them before! What were they?

I didn't notice, but the chairman, Amakawa Tsukasa-san, had noticed that I had noticed Amu-chan's fairy-creature-things.

Third Person: 

Amu was filled with a fiery rage that she had never experienced before. She glared at Ran and Su.

It was after the art class, after she had humiliated herself in front of the class…for the third time that day.

Who to thank? Ran and Su, that's who.

How did they ruin Amu's reputation?

Well in home economics, Su had character changed with Amu and flooded the entire room with cream. Luckily, most of the kids were sick today and hadn't come to school, and a lot of others were outside the classroom looking for ingredients or were in the bathroom.

In gym, Ran had character changed with Amu and she completely embarrassed her by acing everything except for the game of soccer in which Amu was goalie and Ran had stopped the character change and the ball had escaped her.

In art, Ran and Su had made suggestions and Amu had been cautious to take them, but they had insisted and the changes in turn completely ruined the picture and her popularity status. People in her class no longer called her "Cool and Sassy" but just normal "Hinamori-san."

Amu was blowing up and giving both Ran and Su an angry speech. "I knew you two would be trouble from the very start! I can't believe I even let you guys in my life at all! It would have been so much better without you good-for-nothing-shugo-charas!"

Su looked very irritated. _Did she not pay attention to any we said earlier that morning when we were with Nadeshiko?_ She wondered. Su was going to say something when Ran had beaten her to it. "Amu-chan, please give us another chance! We didn't mean to hurt you or your social status! We just wanted to help you out and do what's best for you!"

"Well heck a lot of good that did" Amu replied sarcastically giving Ran a glare. She stalked out of the room, secretly hoping to find someone else who could help her.

Su couldn't take it anymore. Amu was being unreasonable, stubborn, and mean. "Amu-chan, why do you think we were born in the first place? YOU obviously needed and wanted us at the time, and so we CAME. If you can't appreciate the things that we, other guardian characters, and the universe did for you, then I will NOT stick around anymore!" Su shouted at Amu.

At Su's words, Amu bit her lip and shut out any emotion (except for rage) that could surface and convince her to stop. Before she could leave the room though, a 4th grader raced through the halls at top speed and blocked her way. She was followed by a baby guardian character.

Su turned to Ran about to tell her to go when she noticed that Ran didn't look to good. "Ran, are you ok?" Su asked. She wasn't, Ran wasn't able to reply due to the fact that she was fading and fast. Su panicked, with no idea what to do. For a second, she even believed that she could change Amu's mind.

It didn't work. The pleading that Su made had no affect on Amu (who was secretly almost in tears), and Ran faded away with her last words being, "Su, please help Amu-chan find her true self!"

Su cried. She wondered what to do. Then she thought, _I can't believe Amu-chan! Sorry Ran, but there's no way that I can stand Amu anymore. _Su made her way toward the royal garden, slowly.

Meanwhile (Yaya):

I raced across the school grounds at top speed. Two minutes, I had only two minutes to go from my classroom to the royal garden and back to my classroom. I passed the art room. "Oh, Hinamori-san was in art class!" I thought aloud.

I somehow made it outside in half a minute. I stampeded into the royal garden and threw a folder onto the table. "Everyone is making Yaya do so much work!" I complained while I stepped to turn around. From the corner of my eye, I saw Miki-tan's egg float up. I turned around to see what was going on. I watched in horror as Miki-tan's egg turned into an X egg. "NO! AFTER ALL OF THE WORK I DID TO FIX IT! IT TURNED INTO AN X EGG!" I almost cried, but I remembered that I had to retake the test. "Miki-tan, I'll be back tomorrow!" I shouted as I rushed to make it back to the classroom in 30 seconds.

Miki-tan's egg dropped back onto the stand, still intact and completely calm. Hinamori-san's egg must have turned into an X egg because of the art class.

Tadase: 

After classes, I walked to the royal garden by myself. I heard what sounded like a stampede of elephants. My eyes widened in panic as I saw Yuiki-san charging at the school with full speed. As she passed me, she shouted between hurried breaths, "MIKI-TAN TURNED INTO AN X EGG!" I let the words sink in as she raced off, and then I ran to the royal garden.


	4. Remade Honey

Chapter 4: You're Not Kidding and You're Not Lying

Yesterday (Tadase): 

When I arrived at the royal garden, it turns out that Yuiki-san was right. Miki-san did indeed turn into an X egg. "This must be a result of Hinamori-san doubting herself…but how? She had Ran-san and Su-san with her" I thought aloud. To be honest though, it hadn't surprised me that much, but I should have seen it coming.

A voice interrupted my thoughts. I turned around to see Hatoba-san standing in the doorway of the royal garden. Her eyes moved from me, to Miki-san, and then to Kiseki. _Could she see guardian characters? _"I guess all of the guardians have shugo charas" She said. I was taken by shock. _She really could see guardian characters! _

Hatoba-san walked toward the table in the center of the garden, and stood there. I cleared my throat, but she started to talk before I could say anything. "I started seeing those fairy-things during art earlier today. I was also organizing the closet when Amu-chan exploded on her little charas. That must have been when her little egg got an X. The chairman of the school must have been passing the art room and saw the whole thing, because he told me all about shugo charas."

I took a seat. All of this was unexpected, but it made sense. Hatoba-san stood in the doorway unsure of what to do next, and I was unsure of what to do as well. It would be impossible to purify Miki-san with none of the guardians able to character transform or arrive today. Also, Hinamori-san's situation seemed impossible to fix. I really didn't know how Hatoba-san could help, or what she could do. What I did know, is that her personality is gradually changing. Hatoba-san had definitely changed since she had discovered she really wasn't moving, and since she became friends with Hinamori-san.

All of a sudden, Su-san entered the royal garden rather loudly. She stormed in and immediately began to rant about how ignorant, stubborn, and mean Hinamori-san was. The outburst took both Hatoba-san and I by surprise. "How could Amu-chan do that to Ran? Not only did she act completely act out of proportion, but she practically tortured Ran and made her disappear! I bet she doesn't even know that she made Miki go away too! I've had enough of Amu-chan! I am so not going to stick around after what she did! Nope, no way, and never in a million years!" Su ranted.

I was on the verge of losing it. Things were spiraling out of control and I had no idea how to fix it or calm things down. How am I going to get Miki-san purified? What am I supposed to do about Hatoba-san's ability? How am I going to deal with Su-san's situation? How am I going to get the humpty lock back from Easter? I banged my head on the table. _I really wish…_

"Hotori-kun, is there a way that I can switch owners or something?" Su-san asked me. I lifted my head from the table and said, "I'm not sure, but I think it's been done before." I replied hesitantly, unsure of what Su-san was going to do with information.

Hatoba-san looked a little uncomfortable, and torn. Probably since the conversation was about her friend, Hinamori-san_. Although Amu-chan was being a little difficult toward her charas, she's still my friend_ (Hatoba-san thought). Su-san looked deep in thought and seemed to be thinking about her options of who to go to.

Su-san stopped thinking for a bit and looked sad. "What's wrong?" Kiseki asked. I had almost forgotten that my guardian character was there. Su-san took a deep breath and resisted any tears. She said, "Nothing, I was just thinking about what things would have been like if Amu-chan had kept Ran and Miki and I, and had actually joined you guys. Did you know that when shugo charas are born, we actually have a clear idea of what our future is actually supposed to be? We gradually forget it when things are going on the right path, but in this case, it won't happen and I still remember. It makes me sad, and I bet Ran was thinking of it when she faded away and I bet Miki is thinking of it right now inside that X egg exterior."

I was fascinated and a little surprised. I had no idea that the guardian characters had that knowledge. I looked over at Kiseki, but he shrugged. I guessed that he had already forgotten.

Hatoba-san lightly patted Su-san's head to get her attention. She smiled and said, "If you would like, I could be your new owner. I can already see charas, and I've started to get desire to learn to cook since my parents will be too busy to be at home much."

Su-san's face lit up, "Are you serious? Yay that will be the best! Thank you so much…..uh" Su-san hesitated as she did not know Hatoba-san's name.

"My name is Hatoba Yuki!" Hatoba-san said.

"Hatoba-chan, we'll be best friends!" Su-san said happily. I watched As Su-san's outfit changed. She now wore a red and white checkered dress with a white apron and her hat had a cookie shaped pin instead of a clover.

I smiled for the first time that day. They'll be a great new pair. While everything else fell apart, this could actually be the one thing that holds.

Today (Yaya): 

"You're lying, you're lying, you're lying, you're lying! There is no way that that happened right?" I screamed at them. It had to be a joke! There was no way that Hinamori-san let Ran-chii fade away, and no way that she let Su-tan leave! "Tadase, please tell me it's not real!" I complained.

It was first thing in the morning and Tadase had called a guardian meeting in an empty classroom. Poor Naddy came with her mother pushing her in wheelchair and her arm was in a sling, and poor Kukai had come in his pajamas, slippers, a blanket, and a winter coat even though it was still autumn.

Kukai sneezed like five times in a row and said, "What…the…heck…you called a meeting…just to…give us….WORK?" I stared at him. IT WAS A NEW RECORD! He just sneezed like twelve times in one second, and I announced that to the other guardians.

"Yuiki-san please focus. Soma-kun, the guardians have a lot to do this week and in order to get it done we must split the work considering that both you and Fujisaki-san won't be able to come to school until you're in full health." I sat there and spaced out trying to process ALL OF THE BIG WORDS THAT HE SAID!

"But what about Amu-?" I complained. She have so many charas and I no want to see them gone! I want Hinamori-san to accept charas! That's when a thought occurred to me. Why am I calling her "Hinamori-san" when I can just call her "Amu-chii" all the time? Yes, I will call her Amu-chii!

"YAYA!" Huh? What? Oh, Kukai had shouted in my ear. "Ow, that hurt! Don't scream that loud!" I shouted at Kukai.

Kukai sneezed and I back away from him in fear that I MIGHT GET SICK! "Did you hear Hotori?" Kukai asked. I was confused. Did Tadase say something? I watched Naddy's mommy push her out the door and Kukai struggling to walk out the door. "Where are the going? WHY ARE THEY GOING?" I asked Tadase. I hopped around the door as a result of eating sugar first thing in the morning.

"I already told them what they had to do. Now, you're" I cut him off. "YAYA NO WANT TO KNOW WHAT YAYA IS DOING! TELL ME WHAT NADDY AND KUKAI ARE DOING!"

"Okay, okay" Tadase said. He checked his ears to see if they still worked and then said, "Fujisaki-san and her mother will work out the new transfer students and plan meetings. Soma-kun is planning something."

That got me REALLY curious. I wanted to know what he was planning! However, _Tadase_ interrupted me by promptly telling me that I would be a messenger for Kukai and Naddy, AND I had to keep an eye on Amu-chii, Easter, Yuki-chan, Su-tan, Miki-tan, and one of the new teachers. I was gonna blow. WHY DID YAYA HAVE THE MOST WORK? WHY DID THEY HAVE TO DO DUMB PAPERWORK WHILE I HAD TO DO BACKBREAKING SPYING AND RUNNING? Isn't that what Kukai is best at?

"You're kidding right?"

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><p><strong>I am so sorry that this chapter took so long! Chapters 1-3 came pretty quickly so that made up for it right? I've been getting lots of homework lately and I had trouble getting ideas for this chappie, so that's why this took so long. SORRY!<strong>

**Thx for the reviews BTW. **


	5. Without the Joker Part 1

**Note: just so you know, I'm following SOME of the events that happened in the episodes of the anime. I have already gone through the first five episodes and changed a lot, as well as skipped several events. But you keep track from here on, ok? Compare a bit.**

Chapter 5: Without the Joker Part 1

Hinamori Amu was being dragged around the school by Watarai Misaki, and being forced to help Misaki get Tadase to fall in love with her and finding the perfect get well gift for Kukai AND fight off Saaya and her goons. Amu felt like she was in a war. She also felt a feeling within, and no she was not talking about the dread from being dragged into the war. It was something else…guilt? Possibly related with Ran….. _Ha, no way. _"Come on Amu we must act now, for one of our biggest competitors (Fujisaki-san) has fallen ill and we shall take this chance to steal Tadase-kun's heart!" Misaki shouted. _This is going to be a long day…_ Amu thought as Misaki started to tell her all about her plan.

Kukai: 

I rolled around in bed still sick as a dog. It was 4 in the afternoon and I had stayed in bed ALL DAY…..again. The only thing that I had eaten all day was some soup and that nasty medicine. I really don't like being sick, it STINKS. Today was the third time I missed soccer practice, and the third time I missed school. I sat up and sneezed several times. I immediately regretted sitting up, and I lay back down.

"KUKAI, a little girl is here to give you your homework!" One of my brothers shouted loudly. I slammed the pillow over my head not wanting to hear his voice. I have four older brothers, yeah that's a lot of people to endure. You have NO IDEA what they're like.

"KUKAI, KUKAI, KUKAI! YAYA GOT YOU YOUR HOMEWORK! Also, Tadase wants the work that you did today." A little girl shouted at my door and started to bang on it. Ugh can't she just do it quietly? "Quiet down, it's on the desk" I said to her. Man, I did not notice how raspy my voice was. Had it been like this all day?

"YAYA IS COMING IN TO TAKE YOUR WORK!" Apparently, she hadn't heard me at all. _Sometimes she could be so… _Yaya zoomed through my room and threw the stack of papers she had onto my desk and took a folder. "This is it right? Ok, gotta go bye!" She zoomed out the door and out of the house in two seconds flat. What the heck? But it was the right folder.

I sneezed, and then groaned. I slammed the pillow over my head again and fell asleep.

Nadeshiko: 

It was 3:30 PM and I was lying on my bed with my wrist propped up. I was out cold, but dreaming of a-would-be-future so-to-speak. I wondered what would have happened if Hinamori-san had accepted Ran, Miki, and Su.

I had a really hectic week. Three days ago when I broke my wrist, the nurse sent me to the hospital so that they could fix it up. Unfortunately, I had gotten an infection in the process and I had been in the hospital for the entire day. Now, it had gotten a bit better, but I would still need to rest my wrist for a few more weeks. I should be able to go to school tomorrow.

My mother woke me up and I drowsily opened my eyes. I yawned and sat up in my bed. "Nadeshiko, you have a visitor. Yuiki Yaya-san is here to visit you and give you your homework." I lazily rubbed my eyes and resisted every urge to fall asleep again. I really felt way too exhausted. I'm still a little drowsy after they treated my wrist. How? I don't remember.

I remembered something, "Is she finding her way all right?" I asked still half-asleep. My mother froze. She forgot how big the house was and yet another visitor is going to get lost, AGAIN. It didn't really matter anyway, it happened all the time and all of us forget. I carefully pulled my hair into a ponytail just as Yaya-chan ran into the room, terrified.

"NADDY, YOU DIDN'T TELL YAYA THAT YUR HOUSE WAS SO SCAWY AND HUGEEE! NADDY, NADDY, NADDY HELP ME!" Yaya-chan screamed and hid behind my bed.

I patted Yaya-chan on the head with my better hand. "It's ok Yaya-chan, the house isn't so scary when you get used to it, right? Besides it's a great place for hide-and-seek games! The work that was completed is on the desk over there. You can leave my homework there too ok?" I said to Yaya-chan hoping to calm her down.

Yaya-chan smiled and said, "Ok, thanks Naddy!" she grabbed exchanged papers and then walked up to my mother and said, "Can you please help me find my way out?" My mother and I both smiled and Yaya-chan was helped out with the help of my mom.

Tadase: 

I finished the remainder of my paper work successfully without any more disturbances, _you _really don't want to know what happened, and waited for Yuiki-san to come back with Soma-kun's plans and Fujisaki-san's forms.

Just then, I heard someone running here at full speed. I panicked and hid behind the table thinking that it was Watarai-san with Hinamori-san or possibly Yamabuki-san with her friends. I really didn't have the time to talk to them right now. The person entered the garden and I prayed that it wasn't one of my fan girls. _Don't get me wrong, I really don't like to be rude to people, but right now… _

"TADASE, I GOT THE LITTLE FOLDER THINGS FROM NADDY AND KUKAI!" Oh, it was just Yuiki-san. I stood up from behind the table and Yuiki-san stomped over and slammed the papers onto the table. "Thanks Yuiki-san," I said as I picked up the folders and looked through it. Thank goodness, Fujisaki-san and Soma-kun had followed their words and completed their work. I would need to thank them later, and made a mental note of that.

I sat down and read through the plans that Soma-kun was able to come up with, and the information for the new petite and blonde transfer student that Fujisaki-san organized. I got to work on the papers.

"Tadase, Tadase, Tadase, Tadase, Tadase, Tadase, Tadase, Tadase" Yuiki-san said while hopping around the royal garden like a kangaroo.

Unfortunately, it seems that Yuiki-san had too much sugar today and is now suffering/enjoying the consequences.

"Tadaseiiiiiiiiii, Tadaseeeeeeeiii, Tadaseeiiiiiiiii" Yuiki-san continued to call my name while mimicking the actions of different animals. She really didn't need to do all of those strange things I was already paying attention, "Yes, Yuiki-san?"

"TADASE, could u please come with Yaya to get ice cream on the way to her ballet practice?" Yuiki-san asked. Apparently, she didn't notice that I was doing some important work, and that I didn't have the time. "Sorry, Yuiki-san but I have to go over the papers that Soma-kun and Fujisaki-san worked on so I don't have the time."

Yuiki-san looked devastated and looked as if she was going to cry, but instead she started to try to beg me to go with her again… That is, until a voice spoke up and said, "Yuiki Yaya-chan, I would like to go with you to your ballet practice and get some ice cream" Yuiki-san jumped up and down happy that someone wanted to go with her. That is, until she noticed that no one was here other than me was here and that I had not offered to go. She screamed, "Ghost!"

I sighed. Sometimes, life just really likes to throw everything it's got at you right? Not only did I have to calm Yuiki-san down, but I also have to defeat Easter, defend the guardians, look out for my fellow peers, do the guardian work, etc. Not only that, but also looking after Miki-san X egg.

I felt a presence behind me. I turned away from Kiseki and Pepe-san trying to catch Yuiki-san to see a floating X egg behind me. Not just any X egg, Miki-san X egg.

Third Person:

Tadase cleared his throat and called Yaya's name. When he finally got Yaya calmed down and paying attention to him, he pointed over his shoulder to Miki X egg. "I believe your 'ghost' is right there" Tadase said.

"Miki-tan, you can talk even though you're an X egg?" Yaya ran over to Miki and stared at the X egg. "Hey, hey Tadase can this actually happen?" Yaya asked.

Tadase examined Miki from his seat and responded, "Well, I've never seen it before, but nothing has been said that it can't happen. Something, of course, must be holding the owner, in this case Hinamori-san, from completely losing it."

"Guilt, she feels guilt for being so harsh to Ran and feels guilty for Su leaving and for her lack of trying." Miki replied from within the X egg.

"Hey, can you see outside from inside there? Yaya knows you can hear us, but can you see us?" Yaya asked.

"No, I actually can't see very well from in here. I can feel my way around and hope not to run into anything. I guess X eggs can only see once they give in to chaos." Miki replied.

"Oh, but you can go to Yaya's ballet practice anyway right? Yay, come on Miki-tan X egg let's go!" Yaya said as she and Pepe dragged Miki outside and to her ballet practice.

Tadase smiled, and went back to his paperwork.


	6. Without the Joker Part 2

**Note: The first few parts of this story are just catching up with Yuki and Amu before we go on to the actual story with the guardians. PS: recognize the episodes?**

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><p><span>Chapter 6: Without the Joker Part 2<span>

With Manami being a major fan girl of the guardians, she managed to convince Hinamori Amu to coming with her to the Fujisaki residence to give Fujisaki Nadeshiko a get well card that afternoon. Just minutes before, Misaki had managed to drag Amu with her to the Souma residence to give Kukai a gift.

Amu and Manami shook in fear in front of the grand Fujisaki house. "Oh my god their house is so huge! Manami-chan, how about you go in first?" Amu said. She could only image what kind of scary things could be in there.

"No, no you go on ahead I insist" Manami replied cowering behind Amu.

"You're the one with the card" Amu pointed out. Manami nodded and hesitantly knocked on the door.

Yuki: 

Su had wandered off when I was shopping with Wakana-chan and I had to excuse myself to look for her. I sighed. This was going to take a while.

Su: 

I was happily touring the city when I noticed that I had gotten lost. I saw little doggie-san pass by me. "Hi little doggie-san" I said waving happily to the doggie. Turns out, little doggie-san was lost too! I spent the next few hours with doggie-san exploring and trying to find out way back.

Yaya: 

I was in the dressing room of the ballet class, changing into a tutu. I was so excited! We were having an upcoming recital and I couldn't wait to be a part of it! Maika-chan is the prima ballerina, again, and she is going to be so amazing! Hitomi-chan, Yukina-chan, Choco-tan and I were all going to be flower fairies in the recital! We couldn't wait! I Pepe and I told Miki-tan X Egg all about the recital.

"Wow, it sounds amazing, and so artistic! I really wish I could actually see it!" Miki-tan X Egg was saying. "Weren't we supposed to get ice cream first?" I heard Miki-tan X Egg ask Pepe. Pepe shrugged.

"Yeah, this is going to be the best recital ever!" I announced to everyone.

Choco-tan heard me and turned and punched the air, "Ha ha, yes this is going to be the best thing since anime!" Choco-tan laughed. She's so psyched and so was I! The brown-haired flower fairies were totally going to be the second biggest hit of the performance (After Maika-chan of course)!

Mimiko-sensei came in which meant it was time to practice. I was ready to give it my all! "Today is a dress rehearsal" I said to Miki-tan X Egg. She nodded, I felt bad for her I really couldn't stand being blind. I wonder how she dealt with it.

Us performing fairies lined up a on the imaginary line where we were supposed to be! I was flower fairy number 2 so I stood between Choco-tan (flower fairy number 3) and Yukina-chan (flower fairy number 1). _La, la, la oh there's Maika-chan! _Ooo her prima ballerina dress was so pretty! She's the best ballerina in Mimiko-sensei's ballet class, and everyone thinks and knows so! Even though she puts up a cold front (like Amu-chi) she's still super nice!

Third Person: 

Hinako Mizutani watched as her sempais practiced their routine for tomorrow's recital. She ignored the flower fairies and watched Maika. Not that the flower fairies weren't great, Yukina Koguru, Yaya Yuiki, Chiyoko Nakayama and Hitomi Ninagawa were all great dancers, but Maika Himekawa was clearly the best and Hinako wanted to be just like her. If she could be just like Maika, she could be less shy and make lots of friends, which was what she wanted.

A thought tugged at Hinako's mind. _But, what if I can't be just as great as they are? Can being a great prima really help me be more fearless? _

Outside, a figure stood outside the ballet class. "Found you" The man targeted Hinako's hearts egg. Within seconds, the hearts egg came out of Hinako and turned into an X egg.

"Whoops, it's not the embryo. I'll leave clean up to you, Neko." The man walked away, leaving the X egg there. _The neko could handle it_.

Tsukiyomi Ikuto sighed in frustration. _Another clean up job, it's really getting tedious._ He thought.

Yaya: 

We were just practicing like normal, with Maika-chan impressing everyone (even Miki) like how she should be doing, until poor Hitomi-chan screamed and I heard a loud thud. I nearly screamed, it was so scary, an X Egg appeared (it wasn't Miki-tan's) and was attacking everyone! I was going to cry! Hitomi-chan had been thrown at the wall and was hurt!

"Are you okay Hitomi-chan?" I ran over to her, but the X egg attacked and blocked my way. I landed on my butt and tears started to come. Before you knew it, I was crying my eyes out. I couldn't help myself! IT HURT!

Miki: 

I didn't understand what was happening, but I felt an X Egg. According to what I heard, it seems that the X Egg attacked one of the flower fairies and Yaya was crying. I felt around careful not to bump into anything until I reached Yaya-chan.

"Yaya-chan, Pepe-chan, knock it off. You need to focus." I said to them. They couldn't afford to sit and cry right now. I heard everyone run out. It seems that someone had helped Hitomi-san up and ran out with the other dancers. I heard Maika-san trying to calm Yaya-chan down.

But, when the X Egg hatched, Maika-san was knocked down and I tried to get Yaya-chan to stop crying and fight the now X Character.

"B-b-b-but it's not like I can do anything." Yaya-chan blubbered. "I'm too scared!"

I glared at her from inside the X Egg exterior. This was getting annoying, "Yaya-chan drop the act. No one's even here except for unconscious Maika-san, you, Pepe and I." I said. I know that she and none of the guardians are scared of X Eggs or X Characters at all. Yaya didn't flinch when she first saw me right?

Yaya stopped crying said, "You're good" with no trace of sniffling. "Sorry, I really was scared for a second, but I had to keep crying anyway to maintain my character. After all, I can't be a baby if I'm serious all the time!" She said.

"Now, Miki-tan, should I use my Milky Beam or my Giant Rattle?" She asked.

Ikuto: 

I watched the situation, not interfering until the annoying baby-character guardian left. After all, if the baby-character could do something about it (which I doubt), it saves me from doing all of the excess work. As far as I'm concerned, I really don't care what happens to them as long as I get some more time to relax.

What I didn't expect was the humpty lock glowing. It was burning a hole in my pocket. I took it out and immediately dropped it. It burned my hand. "Why the heck is it glowing?" I asked with a tone of frustration.

"Maybe the baby is earning a transformation, nya" Yoru replied.

I stared at Yoru and at the baby-character in disbelief. There's no way that the baby can earn a transformation before the rest of the little guardians.

But sure enough, a light had surrounded the baby character. When it subsided, she was character transformed.

"Character Transformation: Dear Baby!" She shouted.

I simply walked away. "Let's go, Yoru" Now that one of the guardians could character transform, it would get harder, but not much harder. After all, she was simply a girl with a baby-character. I left the humpty lock there. Not a good idea, but I could care less. I was not about to touch something that would burn my hand off.

Yaya: 

Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god. I CHARATCER TRANSFORMED! I couldn't believe it, but there I stood in the middle of the practice room, wearing THE MOST CUTEST PINK PAJAMAS, A KAWAII BUNNY HAT WITH RIBBONS AND SLIPPERS! "Oh my gosh it's so cute!" I said as I took out my phone and took a picture to send to mommy.

Miki-tan pushed me forward. What was that for? "Focus Yaya-chan, you need to find a way to purify that X Chara-san. It's destroying everything. Plus, Mizutani-san is on the ground unconscious." She said.

Miki-tan could be mean sometimes! "Yaya knows that! Yaya just needed a picture for mommy!" I said as I crossed my arms and stuck my tongue out at Miki-tan.

Umm…... Let's see. Oh I know! I smirked at X Chara-san. "Hey, X Chara-san!" I shouted. "Please tell Hinako-chan that she needs to be more sure of herself!" I said while waving and smiling at X Chara-san.

I ran up to X Chara-san when I realized something, "Yeah ok….so what do I do now?"

"Yaya-chan…. You're supposed to purify it now!" Miki-tan said.

I slapped my forehead at my silliness. I punched the air and said, "Of course! Go, Go Little…"

"USE AN ATTACK THAT WILL PURIFY THE EGG!" Miki-tan shouted. Oh…. Right…

I saluted Miki-tan and said, "Ok!" I scratched my head searching for something that would work.

"Merry, Merry Purify!" I winked and stuck my tongue out, "This is the version that purifies bad X Chara-sans or bad X Egg-sans." The cute little mobile flew over the X Chara-san's head and little X Chara-san was purified. I fought every nerve I could that wanted me to go to sleep. I wanted to meet the shugo chara-tan! I de-transformed and Miki-tan and Pepe appeared next to me.

A cute chara with light blonde hair and a white + yellow-sparkles dress, and a cute little yellow tiara appeared! "Ohayo, I'm Kiran! Thanks for helping out Hinako-chan! I'll come out later to help her make lots of friends!" Kiran-chan went back into her egg, and then back into Hinako-chan.

"Bye, bye Kiran-chan! I'll see ya soon!" I said waving to Kiran-chan.

I walked over to Maika-chan and woke her up by saying, "WAKE UP MAIKA-CHAN!" She snapped awake ready to slap whoever yelled in her ear when she saw me smiling at her. "Good morning!"

"Yuiki-san, don't do that again!" Maika-chan said. She looked irritated.

I smiled it off and said, "Come on let's wake up Hinako-chan!" With that, I helped her up to her feet and we walked to Hinako-chan to wake her up.

Miki-tan smiled from within her X Egg. "Yaya-chan is doing well"

"Yeah, dechu" Pepe replied.

The ballet classroom wasn't in THAT much of bad shape, but one thing's for sure, X Chara-san is going to get 12 years of bad luck…..

Third Person: 

The next day was the day of the recital. Tadase, Kukai, and even Nadeshiko all made it to the performance and cheered her on. Kukai was even tearing up a little.

Hinako applauded her sempais performance, and gave them a standing ovation. She shouted, "Great job Maika-sempai, Yaya-sempai!" her newly-hatched guardian character joined in on the cheering.

Miki X Egg was at the performance too, and talked to the other guardian characters about what happened the day before.

Nadeshiko followed slowly as the others rushed to get backstage to meet Yaya after the performance. She looked down at the card she received. She laughed as she recalled what happened.

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><p><strong>Note: Hinako Mizutani, Yukina Koguru, Chiyoko Nakayama and Hitomi Ninagawa are all from episodes in Shugo Chara Doki! In the ? eggs arc. I threw them in this chapter because I needed characters for the other flower fairies.<strong>


	7. Lucky Number 7

**Note: Ok, so before I do ANYTHING, I want to tell you that this is one of the few chapters that actually focuses on Amu (sort of). I guess this is more filler than anything though… **

**Also: I'M SO SORRY THAT THIS TOOK SO LONG! I just have projects to do for school… yea that's a bad excuse… **

**I also apologize for the terrible quality of this chapter. It's bad I know! *hides under a table in shame* **

**ALSO I decided to give Manami and Wakana last names (I don't know why they don't have any) Wakana's is Shimizu, and Manami's is Tanaka. **

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><p><em><span>Last Time: <span>_

_Nadeshiko followed slowly as the others rushed to get backstage to meet Yaya after the performance. She looked down at the card she received. She laughed as she recalled what happened. _

Chapter 7: Lucky Number Seven

While Yaya was at her ballet practice, Cool and Sassy Amu was having her own adventures, getting dragged to the Soma residence and getting lost in the Fujisaki household.

Part 1 - Amu: 

I was wearing my "Cool and Sassy" attitude at the moment as Misaki-chan dragged me against my will to Soma-kun's house. Seriously, that girl needs to think about something other than boys, or at least the King and Jack chairs. Getting them to be your boyfriend only happens in your little fantasy world.

"ARE YOU THERE AMU-CHAN?" Misaki-chan had popped up in my face and scared me to death with that creepy grin she was wearing. I screamed and fell backward. We were currently on the sidewalk on our way to Soma-kun's house.

"HAHA YES! I SCARED THE 'COOL N SPICY' HINAMORI AMU!" She laughed triumphantly like that crazed Saaya chick. I glared at her. _Did she really enjoy scaring me?_ That was not nice! Scaring someone so much that they almost pee their pants is NOT nice.

"Amu-chan you ok?" Misaki-chan was now staring at me as she helped me up. _No, I am not ok. YOU ALMOST MADE ME PEE MY PANTS!_ I almost lost my Cool and Sassy attitude by freaking out. Why? I really HAD peed my pants…err skirt.

I dunno if I was lucky or not, but Misaki-chan noticed and snickered/giggled/chuckled/laughed. "Amu-chan did I scare you so much that you peed your skirt?"

I lost my cool exterior, "Geez, Misaki-chan you really didn't need to scare me like that! Don't do it again. Now what am I gonna do about my skirt? It's not like I carry any spare clothes in my satchel 24/7! What am I gonna do? What am I gonna do?" I freaked out practically running around in circles.

"Calm down Amu-chan, we're at your house right now. Let's change your clothes and go so I can get Kukai-sama to love me!" Misaki-chan said, pointing to the building in front of us. I took a deep breath and calmed down. Nodding to Misaki-chan, I went into the house avoiding everyone there so that they didn't notice that I wet my pants.

Kukai: 

I was feeling better right now, sort of… but definitely felt better than the morning. I was sitting on the smaller couch while my brothers were on the large couch fighting for the remote. I rubbed my head to try to ease its headache, but it didn't work. My brothers really did know how to make watching TV turn into a war.

Luckily, someone had rung the doorbell and my brothers yelled at me saying to get the door. It didn't matter, as long as I got away from their loud and sweaty fight. I trudged over to the door and opened it. And there they were, Hinamori and Watarai. I was really tempted to just slam the door in her…err their... face. Right there standing next to the excited girl was the very same pink-head that tortured her guardian characters and dumps on everyone with that terrible outside character of hers.

I avoided Hinamori and turned to Watarai, "Hey, what's up?" I turned around so I could sneeze. I should probably go back inside and rest some more so I can go back to school tomorrow. I turned back to Watarai and saw her whispering with Hinamori who kept a blank expression on her face. How a person like Watarai ended up being friends with the cold and icy Hinamori? I don't know.

Hinamori abruptly shoved Watarai a bit and glared, apparently disapproving whatever idea she had. _Why that little…_ Watarai simply smirked and turned to me with a hopeful smile on her face. "Here you go Soma-kun. Hope you feel better!" Watarai said while shoving a box at my face.

A grin appeared on my face. _Sweet, a get well gift!_ This is probably the only gift I received this whole week. The other guardians were all busy and apparently my fan club and my friends were all too busy to stop by. "Awesome, thanks Watarai!" I accepted the gift, and we chatted a bit before the two ran off.

I walked back inside and went up the stairs to my room to take another nap. Better than sitting and listening to my feuding brothers. Oh yeah, Watarai's gift was simply a get well card from her and _Hinamori_, and some sweets.

Third Person: 

Amu laughed with Misaki. Misaki had just told a joke about Amu's blushing problem and what would have happened if she had actually forced her to give the get well gift to Kukai. "I bet you would have peed your skirt again, Amu-chan." Misaki said nudging Amu's elbow while grinning.

Amu shot her a glare, but it slowly dissolved into a flushed and panicked face. "N-no, of course not, that only happens when I'm really, really, really, really, really scared!" Amu replied using her "Cool and Sassy" attitude.

Misaki shrugged, "Well, whatever I still think you would've. I got to go now Amu-chan. My mom said I had to get home early today, bye!" She said running off leaving Amu alone.

Manami: 

"La, la, la, la" I hummed a tune while I walked out of my mother's flower shop. Fujisaki-san was at home with a poor wrist so I wanted to do something nice for her and cheer her up! After all, I can't let the queen's chair of the mighty guardians down!

I had prepared a card and attached a little blossom to it. The card was really colorful and very pretty and I was happy at how it turned out. Fujisaki-san was sure to like it.

I skipped down the street with a smile on my face, "Baka yaro! Honto no jibun, Yaritai koto yatte kure, tobidashitekun da yo, tobikoetekun da yo yume ni_*****_." I sang out my newest favorite song as I passed a ballet school. That's when I spotted Amu-chan.

"Hello Amu-chan!" I shouted out to her, waving. Amu-chan's smiled and crossed the street to walk beside me. Now, she could help me at Fujisaki-san's house!

"Hi, Manami-chan. Where are we going?" Amu-chan asked. I was so relieved when she replied as Amu-chan and not as her "Cool and Spicy" outer character. It's easier to talk to Amu-chan and I'm better friends with her true self and not her outer character. At school, she talks to Wakana-chan, Misaki-chan and I as if we're normal fan-girls and not friends.

I explained to her that we were going to the Fujisaki household so I could give Fujisaki-san a get well card. As soon as I said that, a laugh escaped Amu-chan's mouth. A look of confusion appeared on my face. How is going to Fujisaki-san's house amusing?

She stopped giggling and said, "Sorry, but I just did the same thing with Misaki-chan at Soma-kun's home." I burst out laughing. One could only imagine what kind of mayhem Misaki-chan dragged her into. Misaki-chan is a riot, always dragging us into a bunch of crazy situations.

"But that's what makes her a great friend and fun to be around, right?" I replied.

"Yeah" we chatted the whole way to Fujisaki-san's house.

Nadeshiko: 

I shakily tried to stand up and get off my bed. My knees were sore from staying still for the entire day and the scrapes made my knees hurt whenever I bent them. Though the pain wasn't that bad, it still made my legs kind of shaky when I stood. I walked in a circle a bit to get used to it.

My left wrist was still in a cast so I couldn't move it at all, but I was otherwise getting the hang of things and I think I could dance, too. That gave me an idea. I haven't practiced in three days. This would be the first time I would practice in years without having to be told so.

I changed into my kimono and put my hair into its signature Nadeshiko ponytail. I made my way out of my room and to the practice room, hoping that I won't get lost in my own home.

Manami: 

_OMG, you've got to be kidding me! _Amu-chan and I stood outside of the Fujisaki household our mouths were open wide in shock. FUJISAKI-SAN'S HOUSE IS HUGE! It's the size of a mansion! I never imagined it to be this big!

"Oh my god their house is so huge!" Amu-chan exclaimed in pure shock. Intimidated, she turned to me. "Manami-chan, how about you go in first?"

No way was I going to knock on the beautiful humongous door of the Fujisaki mansion and ruin its beauty. I was also terrified. There are usually ghosts and secret passageways in houses like that! "No, no you go on ahead. I insist" I said running behind Amu-chan shaking my head and cowering behind her.

Amu-chan straightened up and gained her "Cool and Sassy" persona, "You're the one with the card"

I had to say it, I couldn't resist, "COOL AND SASSY AMU-CHAN!" I shouted just like the fan-girl my outside persona proved to be. Amu-chan kicked me in the shin and glared at me. I forgot that she didn't like it when I used my "fan-girl" persona in front of her outside of school. I bowed my head and apologized.

I then gulped and nodded. Walked over to the door and knocked on it three times. Amu-chan followed and stood behind me still wearing her outside character.

The door opened with a loud creak to reveal a lady. "Why hello ladies" she said.

"Um hello, we came to see Fujisaki Nadeshiko-san" I said bowing my head a bit politely. Behind me, Amu-chan did the same.

"You must be her friends from school, oh do come in. I'm Baaya the housekeeper, nice to meet you." The lady replied. We stepped inside and were impressed with how beautiful the inside looked even though it was a bit traditional. "Nadeshiko-san is in her room. It's the first room in the second hallway over to the west side of the house on the third floor. You turn to the left and go up the last flight of stairs to get there." Baaya explained.

I nodded and thanked her. Amu-chan on the other hand, looked like she was going through the directions and trying to piece the information together. I giggled as Amu-chan started to panic about how we were going to maneuver around the house. Baaya dismissed.

"Come on Amu-chan, we have to start searching for Fujisaki-san, so we can give her the gift." I said to Amu-chan. She gave me an exasperated look in reply. _Did I say something wrong? _

"Why can't we just give Baaya-san the gift and tell her to give it to Fujisaki-san?" Amu-chan complained. She was whining, and I didn't take well to whining. Besides, it's more fun to explore a bit instead of taking the easy way out! I told Amu-chan this and she gave me a weird look.

I grabbed her wrist and dragged her down the hallway in front of us. "Come on, let's go!"

Nadeshiko: 

That infection must have really gotten to me, because I somehow got lost in my own home. It is so not my fault. The hallways are all very dim and every single door and stairwell looks exactly the same! Even the décor like plants and picture frames and art look the same. It would surely take me a while to get anywhere. But despite it all, I decided that I should at least enter a room to see where I am. After all, I have to figure out where I am in order to get where I want to get.

I slid open the nearest wood and paper door to reveal a bedroom. This room lacked in furniture and the lack of curtains on the windows indicated that it was a guest room. This did not help at all. There was a guest room in every section of the house as far as I was aware.

I slid the door closed and turned around in time to hear running footsteps and someone shouting my name, "FUJISAKI-SAN!" I zipped around to see Tanaka-san dragging Hinamori-san in an attempt to reach me. I braced myself for when Tanaka-san would run into me, but it didn't happen. Luckily, she stopped right in front of me. "Good afternoon Fujisaki-san. I take that your wrist is feeling better now that you're walking around the house?"

"Yes, I am feeling fairly better, and should be able to return to school tomorrow. Thank you" I replied.

Tanaka-san smiled and said, "That's great! Anyway, here's a card I made for you! I wish your health the best of luck!" She bowed her head as she handed me the card.

A smiled swept across my face. The card was fairly pretty. It was lightly lavender in color and contained words and flowers inscribed upon it with dark blue ink. I nodded and accepted the gift, "Thank you so much Tanaka-san! I appreciate the gift, thank you." I picked it up, struggling a bit, and put it in my pocket.

My attention shifted to Hinamori-san whose warm smile had turned into the cold gaze of her "Cool and Sassy" persona. She cleared her throat and asked, "Hey, why are you wandering around her if you're still plenty hurt? Besides, don't you get scared in a large and scary place such as this? And what's with the kimono? Is it a special occasion?"

Tanaka-san blinked a few times at Hinamori-san, and after scolding her for her rudeness she turned to me and said, "Yeah I'm curious about that too. I also head that this place is haunted"

I shifted nervously from side to side, unsure of what to say or how to say it while resisting the urge to laugh at the same time. "Um, actually, I was planning on practicing my dancing. I haven't done so in the past few days, and I wanted to make up for it. And, I can assure you that there's nothing scary here and that I don't normally get lost in my own home."

Hinamori-san got this annoyed look on her face. _Is she still as her outside character?_ To be honest, I was worried about what she would say. Tanaka-san seemed to noticed that I was on edge too."Fujisaki-san, I don't want to be rude, but….. YOU NEED TO GET INTO BED! THERE'S NO WAY YOU CAN PRACTICE THAT KIND OF DANCE WITH A WRIST LIKE THAT!" Hinamori-san finally shouted after thinking a bit.

Tanaka-san nodded in agreement. "Yeah, we need our Queen's chair to be in top form when she gets back, and we want the best for your health! It's better if you rest a bit" she added. I glanced at them. They both had looks of concern, though Hinamori-san's was hidden under her "Cool and Sassy" mask.

Though watching TV or taking a nap would feel pretty good right now, I should probably double-check my already-completed homework for errors before I handed it in. Plus, Yaya-chan should be coming by any minute to drop off the guardian work for today. I smiled a bit and said, "Thank you, Tanaka-san, Hinamori-san. I'll take your advice. If you excuse me, I must go to my room now."

Tanaka-san and Hinamori-san uttered their "your welcomes" and dismissed themselves. When I had finished changing in my room, I heard their screams from all the way across the house. A look of panic crossed my face before it turned into a small smile, _seems like I'll have to show them the way out now_.

* * *

><p><span>Part 2 - Wakana: <span>

Hatoba-san and I had spent the whole day at the mall, shopping, eating, playing games, and watching movies. It was lots of fun! We were currently outside of the mall sitting on a bench outside in the open air under the unusually warm sun. It's autumn, so it wouldn't normally be as warm as it was today. I was currently chatting with Hatoba-san about Cool and Sassy Amu-chan. We weren't necessarily gossiping…right? We didn't say anything mean, I can say that.

A ringtone started to play from someone's cell phone indicating that they were receiving a message. The phone sang out, "Co no michi aruiteku yo, Nani ga arou to mo. Boku-tachi chikara awaseta toki, Nani ka ga kawaru sa. **" I recognized the familiar ringtone immediately. It was my phone! I frantically dug through my bag and whipped it out. "Sorry, Hatoba-san I must take this, it's my father!" I said putting my hands together in apology before rushing off to take it.

"It's alright, take all the time you need." She replied.

Yuki: 

Shimizu-san ran off to take the phone call, and I turned to Su seeking to start a conversation. She had been a little silent ever since we got outside. I looked around the area and saw all sorts of outdoor cafes, shops, and people but Su was nowhere to be seen. _Is this why she was so quiet? Where did she run off to?_

Before I could think about it some more, Shimizu-san scurried back over to the bench looking extremely nervous and frantic, "I'm sorry I have to go now! My dad is in a bad mood and I have to do what I can to please him! You understand right?"

I was relived at this. I had to find Su, who knows what kind of trouble she could have gotten into? "I understand, you're needed at home. See you tomorrow?" I replied with a smile on my face.

Shimizu-san looked very relieved and released her breath, "Thank you so much! Bye now!" She ran off home while I stood up and started to run around the mall searching for Su in places where I thought she would visit.

I checked every single café and restaurant and skimmed by the stores. She wasn't in any of them. I wandered around the perimeter of the mall. Not there. I sighed, this can take a while. Even after my first day with her, I found out she can be a little…..spontaneous? from time to time.

I was really worried now. I sent a message to my mother telling her I would be late coming home before running off down the street to search for Su. Luckily things stayed sunny while I tried to squeeze through crowd in the streets. The sidewalks were crowded with people going out. Friday afternoons were usually like this, people everywhere looking for something to do.

I tried to not get too worried about Su being missing, but I couldn't help it. What if she wandered somewhere far away? What if she was in trouble? What if she got stolen? What if she didn't like me and wanted to go back to Amu-chan or someone else?

Su: 

I got lost. But, it's not bad. I was sure I could find my way home.

I was currently roaming the city with doggie-chan. He is a cute and fluffy doggie who got lost just like me!

The sun started to set. "Seems like the days are getting shorter, desu" I thought aloud as we passed by a ballet school. Doggie-chan barked in agreement.

I glanced at the ballet school and noticed that the poor building was all broken up! "Doggie-kun, let's stop for a moment! I want to fix this place up!" doggie-chan nodded and sat down. "Let's make this place clean and pretty, desu! Chip, Syrup, Whip cream!" My handy little whisk appeared and I flooded the place with some cream. When the cream went away, the place was as clean as a button!

I nodded in satisfaction and floated back over to doggie-kun. He had trotted across the street and he had something in his mouth. "Eh, doggie-chan what's this?" doggie-chan passed the object to me, and I wiped it off before looking at it. I recognized it immediately. It's the Humpty Lock! How it got here, I had no idea. But I knew I had to take it back to the guardians and Yuki-chan. "Oh, thanks for finding this, doggie-chan. Come on, let's find our owners!"

Someone: 

My footsteps sounded on the concrete steps leading out of the tall skyscraper. I hadn't done much in there. All I really did do was listen to Nikaido-san and Sanjo-san argue. I tugged on one of my blond pigtails in frustration. Those two waste all of their time in their useless arguments and competitions. They're like a married couple. And, I didn't get to see Ikuto. Nikaido-san said so himself, he was supposed to be there.

My guardian character floated out from behind me. She's purple haired, black devil tailed and also wore red clothes. "Hey Utau-chan, looks like the cat is here"

I looked up and sure enough, Ikuto was here. That alone was enough to light up my spirits. However, it was short lived. As soon as I skipped over to him, I knew something was wrong. It didn't take me long to figure out what it was.

See, Nikaido-san and Sanjo-san were talking about Nikaido-san's plan that he just came up with. I overheard enough to know that he targeted a ballerina girl and it turned out to be an X Egg. It seems like it failed as usual. This time he caused Ikuto to lose the humpty lock too. Surely Nikaido would have thought to keep tabs on the guardians. Of course he underestimated them, and now they got stronger.

I stopped when I stood directly in front of him. I looked up at him, and his expression changed. He narrowed his eyes at something which couldn't have been me. "Hey Ikuto, is something the matter?" I asked in my especially sweet voice I used just for him.

Ikuto sighed at my voice. I used it all the time around Ikuto. I really don't know why he thinks it's annoying. "Did you create that X Egg?" he asked. My expression turned serious and my voice too. Ugh, either a kid was stupid enough to let their hearts egg turn into an X or Nikaido-san did it. I turned around and surely enough, I saw one floating still in the air. I shook my head "no" to tell Ikuto I didn't do it.

Ikuto's face turned into a scowl as he thought of the trouble he had to go through as clean up again. It must be a pain cleaning up after the X Eggs Nikaido creates.

I walked over to the X Egg and grabbed it wanting to break the useless thing apart. Ikuto shouldn't have to deal with these petty things all the time. I'll deal with it for him today. My grip tightened on the X Egg and I heard it crack a bit. Just before I could shatter it to bits, an _interruption_ arrived. I swiftly turned around to see a shugo chara and a dog. I smirked. A little chara and a dog aren't much. I ignored its presence and I griped the egg so that it would shatter.

That is, if the little chara hadn't decided to speak up. "Hey, stop it! Don't break Mr. X Egg, desu!"

I almost laughed. Surely, this little chara can't be serious, how naïve. I put on an emotionless face and said, "Oh? And why should I?" I smiled, and I closed the space between my fingers. The X Egg shattered. Yup, the poor hearts egg of some child is now gone forever and the child will have no dreams whatsoever and start walking around like a zombie. It's sad really, but necessary. _For Ikuto,_ I reminded myself.

The chara gasped, and the dog growled at me. My job here is done. There is no reason for me to stay any longer, so I turned around to leave. Not before something caught my eye. The sun's rays reflected off of a shiny object in the chara's hands. The Humpty Lock, an artifact left behind by some old king's chair of that ratty elementary school. Powerful, it goes together with the Dumpty Key, the same key that Ikuto carries on his violin every day. The lock that goes with Ikuto's key… I need it. _Maybe then, Ikuto will finally….._

"The humpty lock….. How did you get it?" I asked.

"Utau, isn't it a bit rude to talk to someone without getting to know them first?" Ikuto asked with a plain expression. I really don't know how he does that. Talk with no emotion whatsoever. "You're one of that pink-haired girl's characters"

"Not anymore, desu! I'm not Amu-chan's character anymore! Su is Yuki-chan's character!" the chara apparently named Su shouted back at Ikuto.

I heard footsteps behind us. I looked behind my shoulder to see a girl with short dark green hair. She smiled happily and ran over to the chara saying, "Su! I've been looking everywhere for you! Where did you go? Who's this?" The girl apparently named Yuki started to play with Su and the dog. I groaned mentally and tapped my foot impatiently. The clueless girl finally seemed to notice Ikuto and I, "What's going on?"

The chara took a deep breath and summed up everything in a single breath. Good, the shorter the better. I didn't have time to be standing around. She stood up and faced me. "Before we get into anything, I would like to know who you are. I'm Yuki Hatoba. Hatoba-san, if you will."

Polite, that's good. Better than she was when she charged past me like a bull. But do I have to answer to a lower class girl? No.

"Ikuto Tsukiyomi, she's Utau Hoshina." Ikuto said. I didn't appreciate it. Why tell someone who didn't need to know?

Hatoba-san's face grew serious. "I know you, you're the one who took the Humpty Lock and initially broke Miki-san's Egg." The girl said to Ikuto. I stared at her, dumbfounded. How did she know about the lock? Sure, Su was her shugo chara, but she didn't look like she would bother to tell someone that kind of knowledge.

"So, the kiddy king decided to tell you stuff." Ikuto said. My face hardened. So, she's friends with the guardians. "Oops, look at the time. Let's go, can't be bothered by the little girl." Ikuto said, trying to avoid a fight. Sure, a fight would be petty and useless, but I want that lock.

Competitiveness grew inside me. "Il, chara change," and after hitting her with one of my attacks, a light enveloped all of us and it came from the humpty lock.

"Unlock my heart!"

Third Person: 

Yaya Yuiki and the rest of her ballet class had returned to the studio after helping Hitomi, Maika and a few other dancers with their injuries planning to find places in the studio that they needed to fix. They were fairly silent the whole way there, only chatting quietly.

Yaya skipped ahead of everyone else and raced to get there before Pepe and Miki X Egg. She landed in front of the door way to the dance room and shouted, "Yay! Yaya is first!" She took that moment to glance across the room. Her jaw dropped as she saw it. Everything was just how it was before the X Egg ripped it to shambles, if not cleaner. "Wow! Guys look here! This place is so sparkly, come see!"

The whole class and the sensei thundered down the hallway and stampeded through the door into the room, almost knocking over Yaya in the process. They walked around and marveled at their newfound good fortune. Yaya stood up and shouted, "Thank you!" to whoever happened to help them out.

Tadase Hotori walked out of the garden after another day of working alone. He had stayed late after school that day and was finally on his way home. The sun set in the distance and orange colors painted the sky though it wasn't evening officially yet.

Yuki Hatoba walked onto campus and approached the King's chair. Su lay asleep on a white shaggy dog that accompanied them. She handed Tadase a piece of paper wrapped around an object. "Here, I know you've been worrying about this. Oh, and I believe this dog belongs to some kid named Seiichiro Suzuki. Could you bring it back to him? I've had a long day" she said.

Tadase was a bit surprised, but nodded. Yuki and Su left for home and Tadase found Seiichiro still on campus and returned his dog to the Hinamori Amu fan. Before leaving campus, he took the time to open the letter, and his eyes widened to see the humpty lock and a short letter on what happened.

_Hey Tadase-kun, _

_Here's the humpty lock. Su found it on the ground outside of a ballet school. Also, we ran into two people named, Ikuto Tsukiyomi and Utau Hoshina. The latter kind of picked a fight and wanted the lock, but I managed to leave without having t fight. _

_You know, after I earned my character transformation. Though, I probably won't be able to transform into it again for awhile. _

_See you at Yuiki-san's ballet recital_

_~ Yuki Hatoba_

* * *

><p><strong>*<strong>** This song is called Honto no Jibun by Buono! This song is also the first ending theme for Shugo Chara! I don't take credits for the lyrics. Someone else wrote them. **

********This song is called Conomichi by Buono! This song is also the sixth ending theme for Shugo Chara! I don't take credits for the lyrics. Someone else wrote them.**

* * *

><p><strong>And Fin! Sorry about not updating for almost a month! I deeply and truly apologize. But, though this chappie was mostly filler excepting for the Utau part, it's over 5,000 words! A new record! Please tell me if you enjoyed it.<strong>

**And sorry about the quality. I know its terrible for a chapter that took a whole month. Sorry! **

**Note: I'll be doing a time skip in the next chapter. Though, it'll be quickly summarized in an intro paragraph. **

**Thanks for reading!**


	8. First Serve

Chapter 8: First Serve

Kukai:

It's been a few weeks since that Yuiki's ballet performance and since that fiasco with "Cold and Icy" Hinamori happened. Hatoba got the humpty lock back to us, and both she and Yuiki got their character transformations, which is awesome. However, Hatoba tried transforming again, but it didn't work. Something to do with her heart egg I guess. Also, it seems that Utau Hoshina and Ikuto Tsukiyomi started to take part in Easter's plans. I guess Tsukiyomi just "cleans up" as Hatoba and Hotori have told me. Hoshina….. I don't know much about her.

A lot happened between those events and today. For one, a bunch of X Eggs showed up, but we managed to cleanse them every time. Over winter break, the guardians and I also went over to my grandpa's house and we snowboarded and had lots of fun at the ski resort. Fujisaki even chara-changed and let me tell you, it's scary. She gets this evil look in her eyes and sometimes takes out that trusty naginata of hers.

On Christmas, we had this big party and it was tons of fun. Yuiki and Fujisaki also showed us one of Hoshina's music videos and it turned out that she was a singer! We also went to a New Year's concert, which just had to be sponsored by Easter and have Hoshina as one of the performers. It turns out that she can make X Eggs with that weird chara-change and her Butterfly Labyrinth song. Tsukiyomi ended up breaking them, but we still purified one of them. _That's better than nothing….._

The fifth and sixth graders went on a trip to learn how to ski (_I already knew of course_) and turns out that the 11 year old teacher, Torii, has a guardian chara. We ended up having to purify her X guardian chara, but it was still loads of fun in the end. Fujisaki even told me that she saw who did it, but all she managed to say was that he had shaggy hair and was tall.

Oh, and the best part of the past few weeks is that my old friend Sion came to visit. I was so happy. I haven't seen her in ages.

Today, it turns out that there's a speech contest!

Tadase: 

It was early in the morning and I was walking to school. I couldn't take my mind off of the happenings with Easter. Just yesterday, Easter had showed up again and turned Nakagura-kun's guardian character, Zero, into an X Egg. It cannot be a coincidence that just days after the ski trip (where we had to purify Torii-san's X egg Snoppe) that another child's guardian character turned into an X. Easter is planning something suspicious.

I looked back on the past couple of weeks. Fujisaki-san said she saw who might have turned Torii-san's egg into an X, but her description was a little vague. Anyone could wear a brown suit and have shaggy hair…..

I then thought about one of the things I told Yuiki-san to do: check on the new substitute teacher for the 5th grade star class. Although she said that nothing was suspicious except for his clumsiness, I still can't help but think. He does, after all, fit Fujisaki-san's description, however vague it may be.

I walked to class, still deep in thought.

Utau: 

My manager, Yukari Sanjo, and I were on our way back from the studio when I heard her mumbling to herself. She just came off the phone with the manager and mumbled something about Nikaido-san, her rival in getting the Embryo. I caught parts of what she said which was something about wondering what Nikaido-san's plan was. I could care less, but he's been collecting a fairly large amount of X Eggs. On top of that, he's been working in his office more than ever which is strange. Of course, unless it results him getting the Embryo before I do, I am not interested in someone who puts on that cowardly fake smile.

"It doesn't matter, because I am not interested in what a coward like Nikaido-san is up to and neither does Ikuto. You shouldn't be concerned with it either" I said to Sanjo-san while looking out at the dark thundering sky as it started to rain cats and dogs.

Someone: 

I sat in my office, looking back on my data about the X Eggs I managed to create. Of course the Embryo that grants wishes wouldn't just come so easily, but all of my work up until now resulted in X Eggs, which is frustrating.

I flipped through the mostly useless pieces of data when two of which caught my eye. Recent victims, Mifuyu Torii and Takuya Nakagura seemed to have exceedingly strong X Eggs. I looked through the data more carefully and noticed that both had guardian characters. An idea came to my head from this. If I can't _extract_ the Embryo, then I should _create_ the Embryo. And it'll all start with what I've collected here. All I need now is a powerful X Egg, one more powerful than ever.

I placed five cards face down on the table and choose picked one up and turned it over.

It was the jack.

Nadeshiko: 

I walked across campus in the morning and made my way toward my classroom. It had rained all night up until two hours ago resulting in a very wet morning. I was spacing out and thinking about the recent scams to get X Eggs by that strange man. I'm positive I've seen him before….. I just can't place a name or where I've seen him before.

A loud stampede of running feet and a shout woke me from my thoughts. I turned around to see Yaya-chan skip over to me and give me a hug. "Good morning Naddy!" She shouted. I gave her a smile as she stepped back from the hug.

"Good morning Yaya-chan" I replied nodding my head. Yaya-chan tugged my sleeve and pulled me inside the school building. I looked at her a moment and the look on her face shocked me. Her face looked emotionless. Her eyes didn't hold their usual happiness and neither did her mouth, which was turned into a straight line. She wore a nervous expression that also looked a bit sad too. I thought back on the past few weeks, wondering what might be the cause.

It was then that I realized what it was. Yaya-chan has been doing more work than ever for the guardians. Not paperwork of course, but the things that require action. I snapped back to reality and noticed that Yaya-chan had stopped walking and seemed to be thinking of conversation topics. Although her emotionless face was gone, she still looked a bit dark. Concerned, I asked, "Yaya-chan, are you alright? You look a bit troubled."

She turned to me, her face now marked with confusion. "What do you mean? Yaya isn't troubled at all! She just had to stay up late to do homework! Yaya is just tired…. She also heard a very weird rumor." Her look of confusion turned into an evil smile. "Does Naddy want to hear the rumor Yaya heard?"

For a moment I forgot all about the X Egg situation and put a finger to my chin, thinking. On one hand, I could learn all about a secret that I could use against the person if they ever did something to wrong me. On the other hand, if it's something strange and scarring then I probably won't want to hear about it at all. On another hand, it's not nice to gossip. In the end, I turned to Yaya-chan and asked, "What is it?"

Excitement built up in Yaya-chan's eyes and she said, "Did hear that Saaya-chii gave Kukai a letter admitting her feelings for him?"

Yamabuki-san, gave Soma-kun a love letter? It didn't surprise me one bit since she is the president of both his and Hotori-kun's fan clubs. I never thought she would confess to him through letter when she can just do it face-to-face. After all, the girl does like to show how great she is.

A thought then crossed my mind. _As far as I know, Soma-kun doesn't have feelings for Yamabuki-san…. If anything, the situation between her and any one of the guardians is strange and awkward. But, those are perfect reasons to tease him about it! _A smile came on my face and Yaya-chan mirrored it. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" I asked Yaya-chan.

We stood up as people rushed off to class, "yup!" she replied.

Someone: 

Earlier that morning, I sat in at the teacher's desk of the Fifth Grade Star class. Those guardians still have no idea of what I'm planning and are unaware of my actions. The plan is progressing smoothly, and I look out the window to see my target in the 6th grade Star Class sitting outside on a bench conversing with my bait, the one who I knew would be a good choice to get the Jack's chair worked up.

Currently I was sitting at my desk watching my students' progress in their work. I had given them seat work and took the free time that I had looking over the information on the X Eggs and going over the details of my plan with the fake smile on my face.

Tadase: 

I opened my lunch box and started to eat. The whole day had been hectic and I've been doing an abnormal about of homework and guardian work the whole day. In class, we were choosing a representative for the entire 5th grade for the speech contest, and although I had almost been picked, they decided "Cool and Spicy" Hinamori-san would be better. I was secretly relived I didn't have to do more public speaking than I was used to though I was still worried for how Hinamori-san will do with her speech.

I didn't find out anything new about the 5th grade Star Class substitute, or the man Fujisaki-san saw at the ski trip. Although I had Yuiki-san keeping a close eye on him, it didn't help much and no matter what she tried, she couldn't find out anything about him. Yuiki-san is only in the 4th grade Moon Class so it's no surprise that she couldn't do much. Perhaps Fujisaki-san and I could keep an eye instead seeing as how we're both 5th graders.

I snapped out of my thinking phase to see Fujisaki-san snapping her fingers in front of my face in an attempt to bring me back to Earth. She wore a concerned but playful expression as she said, "Hotori-kun, are you alright? If you keep spacing out, you won't be able to finish lunch!"

I gave a sheepish smile and said, "Sorry Fujisaki-san, I've got a lot on my mind." A look of understanding came across her face and she nodded saying to not think about it too much and to tell her if something happens. I gave a quick nod before picking at my food once more.

But before I could go back to eating, the door to the classroom slammed open.

Nadeshiko: 

"Sorry Fujisaki-san I've got a lot on my mind" Hotori-kun said after I seemingly snapped him out of his trance. My gaze turned serious for a moment, but changed to a smile.

I put a hand on his shoulder and tilted my head. "Don't worry about it too much. Things have their way of sorting themselves out. Just be sure to come to me and the other guardians if something happens, okay?" A hopeful smile came onto Hotori-kun's face and he nodded saying thanks.

I went back to my lunch and resumed eating when a loud slam was heard. Everyone in the classroom jumped and turned to see Soma-kun at the door looking strangely serious. "Sorry for disrupting, Fukuda-sensei, but can I see Hotori-kun for a moment?" he asked.

Fukuda-sensei gets rattled easily so she was still quite startled when Soma-kun came in. She was currently sweating and shaking while stuttering, "O-of course, Soma-kun." I glanced over to see Hotori-kun stand up with a serious expression on. Without a word, he and Soma-kun walked into the hall. I gave them a quick worried glance and a small wave before they went out of view.

I was truly worried about them. I've never seen Soma-kun more serious in my entire life and I wasn't sure what he wanted to talk to Hotori-kun about. I just hoped that Hotori-kun would be able to handle whatever Soma-kun wanted to talk to him about. Especially in the state of mind he's currently in. Hotori-kun has a lot to think about, being the King of the guardians and having that strange situation he has with Easter.

I continued to eat my lunch until I finished, occasionally talking to a classmate while doing so, and proceeded to clean up my eating space when Hotori-kun came back in. I was confused and a little surprised at the expression he wore on his face: a frown, the one he wore happened to show true resentment toward a person. I was concerned and wanted to know how it went, so I asked, "Hotori-kun, how did it go with Soma-kun? What did he want to talk with you about?"

The answer he gave couldn't have surprised me more. He turned to me and replied "Soma-kun is jealous of my position as the King chair. He said that he heard rumors about us and how we think he's a failure at being the Jack chair and about how we resent him for trying to get the King chair. Although he said he wasn't trying to get the King chair, I can't really believe him. After all, he said that I was full of myself when I'm not."

I was shocked. We had never said anything like that and there is no way that anyone would spread rumors like that. Moreover, Soma-kun was always the type to be the optimistic one and surely wouldn't have believed rumors like that before sorting it out with all of us first. Before I could say this to Hotori-kun, however, he turned his attention to cleaning up his eating space and said, "Whatever, he can think whatever he wants. I'm not going to tolerate his behavior if he keeps it up."

I didn't get a chance to add anything in before lunch was all cleaned up and Fukuda-sensei started the next class.


	9. Strike One

Chapter 9: Strike One

Nadeshiko:

I was in the royal garden. I looked worriedly between Soma-kun and Hotori-kun. Both boys wore frowns and worked in awkward silence. I was anxious to get some conversation going and to get everything back to normal. I wanted them to get along.

I took a glance at Yaya-chan. Beads of sweat were forming on her face as she fidgeted in her seat from the uncomfortable silence that loomed over the royal garden. Her face scrunched up and I could tell that she was going to blow any second, since she finished her paperwork. For Yaya-chan, I guess a tense atmosphere helps her work faster.

I myself was on my last sheet and finished within a minute.

Yuki: 

Miki-san X Egg had gotten bored and decided to come join Su-chan and I in aiding Hinamori-san in her speech. She told me that the Guardians, particularly the Jack and King chairs, were tense and she didn't feel comfortable in that kind of atmosphere.

I was walking toward school. Although it is the afternoon, Fujisaki-san had asked me to pick up some flower seeds for the flower bed. It would be spring soon and she wanted to be ready for the season. Just as I entered campus, Miki-san X Egg stopped chatting with Su-chan to ask me a question.

Miki-san X Egg attempted to float by my shoulder and asked, "Umm, did Amu-chan really ask you for help with her speech? I mean… she…" Miki-san trailed off. Her voice sounded so without hope, and at that moment I remembered that she was an X Egg. To tell the truth, I myself was very surprised at what Hinamori-san asked me. However, I was the best student in language arts so it only makes sense that she would ask me for help.

Su-chan floated in front of me, and with a concerned voice she asked me, "Yuki-chan, are you alright? Miki asked you a question." I nodded in response while muttering a "Yes."

A half-smile grew on my face as I recalled how Hinamori-san asked me for help. In reply to Miki-san X Egg, I said, "Hinamori-san didn't seem too happy to be chosen for the speech contest, but she had to do it cause of her 'Cool and Spicy' character. So, of course she asked me for help, but not without a 'Cool and Sassy' attitude to accompany it."

Su-chan nodded and emotionlessly said, "Yeah and Amu-chan was very nervous on the inside, I can tell. But her outside character doesn't allow for it to seep through. She's a very lost child." I gave Su-chan a pat on the back. Poor Su-chan has mixed feelings for Amu-chan after what she did to Ran-san, but has pity for her deep inside.

I took a glance at Miki-san X Egg as she mumbled a 'hmm…' I laughed, I could practically imagine her putting her pointed finger and thumb beneath her chin and squinting her eyes thinking. Miki-san X Egg sighed and said, "Yeah, I can imagine Amu-chan doing that, but it doesn't change anything about the situation." Su-chan and I agreed and we talked about the speech contest as we walked into the garden.

Wailing was heard in the background as several voices were shouting. Pure shock was displayed on my face and I gaped at the scene before me. Su-chan was worried and started floating in a circle, panicked.

Soma-kun had one hand slapped on the table and his chair was tipped over. He was glaring and shouting at Hotori-kun, "Hotori, the only reason why you would say that is because you're trying to get rid of me! YOU think that I'm trying to overthrow you, so that's what you did to stop me! I know what you all think that I'm a loser Jack that's trying to get Hotori down, but I'm not!"

Hotori-kun had his hands slammed on the desk while he gave Soma-kun a serious look shouting, "SOMA-KUN YOU DON'T HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO YELL LIKE THAT! NEITHER DO YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO ACCUSE US OF THINGS WE'VE NEVER EVEN THOUGH OF DOING! I WILL NOT TOLERATE YOUR BEHAVIOR ANY LONGER!"

"You're yelling louder than I am!" Soma-kun retorted ignoring the rest of his statement as Yuiki-san started to roll on the floor, still wailing.

Poor Fujisaki-san was squeezed between Soma-kun and Hotori-kun trying to keep them from hitting each other while trying to calm them down at the same time, "You're both yelling louder than Yaya-chan can ever cry or I can ever speak! Please calm down, friends aren't meant to fight!"

Miki-san X Egg slowly inched over to where I was and whispered in my ear, "You need to stop this." I nodded and cleared my throat. Yuiki-san glanced in my direction, but the others kept on yelling. I bit on my fingernail, unsure of what to do next. _I got Yuiki-san's attention, now what?_ Yuiki-san sat up and dried her tears. She winked at me and mouthed 'Yaya's got this.'

I gave her a wary look and stiffly nodded my head. Wondering and worrying about what she might do. Some of her ideas could get carried away, and I really hoped the one she was going to pull isn't going to be one of those ideas. Su-chan and Miki-san X Egg decided to find front-row-seats to the drama from where the other charas were, on one of the windowsills.

Yaya-chan tiptoed over to Soma-kun, Hotori-kun, and Fujisaki-san and took a deep breath. I took a step back and she proceeded to yell, "OMG IS THAT AMU-CHII?" At first, I thought that was her plan to get their attention, however when I saw her expression I saw that it held pure shock. I turned around and sure enough…..

Hinamori-san was there, wearing her "Cool and Sassy" exterior looking at the royal garden with disgust. She didn't noticed any of the charas that were sitting on the windowsill out of her line of vision, but she had seen the arguing guardians and I could tell that she was half amused and half disgusted. She shifted her weight and flipped her hair back as she said, "Come on Hatoba-san, we need to get away from these freaks. We need to get started"

An awkward silence filled the air as everyone's heads were turned to Hinamori-san. She smirked, "What the heck are you staring at me for? Shouldn't you be reminding yourselves of something?" She turned around and slung her satchel over her shoulder. "Come on Hatoba-san, I still have to write that stupid speech, and I need your help." I nodded and motioned for Su-chan to stay with the guardians, knowing she would be more comfortable away from Hinamori-san.

I mouthed to Yuiki-san, _Explain the situation to me later._

Kukai

I stared… and stared… and stared after Hatoba and Hinamori left. One question ran through my mind, _when did they get there?_ I then thought of what the "Cold and Icy" Hinamori said. _Shouldn't you be reminding yourselves of something?_ I shook my head and plastered a look of frustration and anger on my face. That inferior Hinamori has no idea what she's talking about. That hypocrite shouldn't be one to tell me what to do.

Besides, I already knew what I was doing.

* * *

><p><strong>Note: I'm sorry for the terrible quality and the shortness of this chapter! I really wanted to get it done, so I wrote this. <strong>


	10. Strike Two

Chapter 9 – Strike 2

Yaya

My mind went blank. Completely white, cause black is too dark and scary, after Amu-chii sauntered into the royal garden and stole Yuki-chan. I didn't even notice Kukai walk out until Naddy shook me a few times and snapped me back to reality.

The first thing that came to mind was, "Ehhh? What just happened? Where did Kukai go? Why was Amu-chii here? What about Yuki-tan?" Not knowing what to do, I did the only thing I could do…. Panic. I hopped around the garden flapping my arms shouting those questions.

Tadase stopped me from running around by grabbing my arm and throwing me into the chair. Ow… Why was Tadase being so mean? "Geez, Tadase… that hurt!" I pouted and crossed my arms knowing that if I cried, they would be more frustrated than they already were.

Tadase turned to me and said sternly, "Yuiki-san, please focus on the task at hand. Soma-kun is being much too difficult to handle and now I must take initiative, that's what's happening. Soma-kun presumably either went home or to the soccer field." I nodded in understanding. At that, Tadase calmed down and sat in his seat. I slowly turned my head to the nearest person, Miki-tan X Egg and gave them a questioning look. Miki-tan X Egg must have felt my look, because she quickly gave me the meaning of 'initiative'.

It got weirdly quiet and awkward. Poor Tadase was trying to calm himself by finishing the paper work, and I was eating a yummy cookie trying to forget the situation that happened before. I looked over at Naddy. She was still standing there, in the same pose, still processing everything.

I don't blame her.

Nadeshiko:

Things were falling apart. I stood there frozen, thinking about it all. Hotori-kun and Soma-kun were in a terrible dispute. How did things fall apart so easily? I couldn't believe it, there is no possibility that this could be happening. Just this morning, all of us were best friends until….Soma-kun spoke to Hotori-kun during lunch.

Just then, I realized it. But the thought was pushed away when I was reminded of what Hinamori-san has said earlier, "Shouldn't you be reminding yourselves of something?" I finally took a seat, but possibilities of what Hinamori-san could've meant by that and how things could be fixed plagued my mind.

Yuki

I hurried to catch up with Amu-chan's quick pace. Amu-chan was really being mysterious these days, more "cool and spicy" if that's possible. She was drifting away from her friends, her "cool and spicy" attitude was seeping through, controlling her every move. It was especially prominent whenever she was talking to me or the other guardians. Although, this time, she said something strange, with a hidden meaning. As soon as I caught up to Amu-chan, I asked her, "Amu-chan, what did you mean by 'Shouldn't you be reminding yourselves of something?'?"

Amu-chan turned around to face me. Her "cool and sassy" exterior was up as she began to speak. What she said caught me off guard, "The speech contest, I was reminding them of the speech contest. Soma-kun was elected to represent the 6th grade, you know. He can't get mixed up in all that drama if he expects to even get close to winning the speech contest." The way she smirked when she saw the expression on my face meant that I must have been wearing shock. Amu-chan added, "What did you think I was talking about?"

I shook my head and said, "Nothing Amu-chan, let's work on your speech okay?" She nodded and turned on her heels and started to walk. I sighed. _Of course Amu-chan wasn't talking about friendship. Her cool and spicy attitude doesn't allow her to be deep, it seems_.

Someone

At this point, I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing at my triumph. Bending the guardians to my will is far too easy. I turned to the stack of papers on my desk, and immediately frowned. I took the first collection of papers off my desk, a report by Manami Tanaka. I sighed, and shook my head. Just a little longer, and I won't have to deal with these kids anymore. Just a little longer, and I'll win the competition.

The embryo is mine.

Kukai

I walked through the woods surrounding the school kicking various objects laying on the ground, deep in thought. Daichi floated nearby, watching me. Thoughts concerning what happened in the royal garden ran through my head. _Why did Hinamori have to interfere? That "cold and icy" girl has no idea what the heck she's talking about. What does she know about friendship? 'Shouldn't you be reminding yourselves of something?' Yeah right, I know just what I'm doing_. My thoughts wandered to the note Yamabuki gave me this morning. Yamabuki had written about how she and Goto overheard Hotori talking to Fujisaki about how 'pathetic it was that Soma-kun has to try and seize the King's Chair in an attempt to redeem himself from his terrible attempts at being the Jack's Chair'. Just the thought of it made me growl and slam my fist in frustration against a nearby tree.

As I did so, I head Daichi flinch back in surprise when the loud 'thump' sounded when my fist met with the tree trunk. I turned to Daichi and gave a rather weak smile, "Sorry Daichi." I said.

I turned back to the tree trunk and hit my forehead against it_. _I knew that Hotori wouldn't do something like that, although Yamabuki's letter seemed to prove it otherwise. The thing that got me most confused is why Yamabuki would do it._ Why would Yamabuki tattletale on Hotori? From what Yaya and Fujisaki have been gossiping about, Yamabuki has a crush on both Hotori and I. So, why would she write that letter if all it was going to do was start fights? It doesn't add up. But that's why I have things under control_. I continued to think, about the situation. A scowl formed on my face as Hinamori crossed my mind again. That icy girl better not ruin things. The pinkette has a knack for that, and the stunt she pulled in the royal garden only proved it. _I had things under control!_ I unconsciously repeated my thought aloud and hit the tree again, "I had things under control!" I clenched my fist and closed my eyes. _I might not have things under control…._

Daichi floated over to my shoulder and started to ask, "Umm, Kukai are you…" I turned around slowly to see that Daichi had cut off his sentence and was clenching his stomach in pain.

Alarmed and concerned, I quickly moved to Daichi's side and asked, "Yo, Daichi, you alright?" The mocking sun only shone brighter, and I gasped as Daichi started to fall. "Daichi, Daichi, Daichi? Dude, what's wrong?" The little dude landed in my palms and I stared with wide eyes as it happened.

Daichi went back into his egg.

Amu: 

_I hate speech contests_.


	11. Strike Three, Out - and reply to review

**Reply to Guest Reviewer: **

Okay, so this is an author's note, and I know this isn't really allowed, but I'll write some of the chapter afterwards.

A guest reviewer (I don't remember when I allowed guest reviewers…) reviewed my story on October 19, 2012 saying that this story doesn't make sense. Now that I think back, it probably doesn't. I haven't written for it in several months, so this is probably the case. One day, I'll look back and say that it makes no sense whatsoever, too. But, I have a plan for this story. It is indeed going to be different from the original series, that's the whole purpose. This is what I think would have happened if Amu got Guardian characters, but refused to be a Guardian at all.

About the OOC-ness: I'm trying, but lack of motivation is probably why this story isn't well refined. Amu is completely in her outer-shell, her outer character, and that is why she's kind of OOC. Somehow, her character just went kind of off in the last few chapters, and if I ever decide to rewrite this, then I'll definitely change that. The other characters weren't meant to be OOC, but I guess that's what happens when you write a story about an anime you haven't seen in over a year.

As for the Su becoming Yuki's guardian character, I did that with a thought in mind. In Episode 29, Daichi mentioned to Kukai (when Kukai asked if guardian characters could change owners) that it should be able to be done, and I quote, "Guardian Characters can change according to the state of their owner's heart. That's why they end up marked by X's or shattered. So, if a Guardian Character were to wish for a new owner, it might be…" and I'll finish that sentence: …possible. So in theory, in response to what Daichi said in episode 29, Su could change owners if she wishes so. Amu technically didn't stop believing in her, Su ditched her to go to Yuki, who should be able to be a proper owner as you might possibly see if I so decide to ever get motivated in writing this again.

I hope I gave a thorough reply to the Guest reviewer, and even though I doubt that they'll see this anyway, I hope it was a good reference for those who are reading and don't understand the story. If anyone has anymore questions about this, just review and I'll answer in a PM.

PS: Don't review as a guest, I hate it. And I hate the changes Fanfiction made. I don't want Guest reviewers at all. I can guarantee if another Guest reviewer reviews one of my stories, I will not accept it and I will delete each review that a Guest makes simply because I wish that there should still be an option to disable them completely. Another reason for this is because I won't get all mad at you if you do flame my story. I'll do what I normally do: give a response similar to the one above, and thank you for taking the time to review at all. Also, I can't reply through PM if you do review as a guest. I want to give a response to a reviewer who may have questions, complements, or criticisms so they can give feedback on my response. I don't care if it's a complement, I don't want guest reviews.

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 11: Strike Three, Out<span>

Nadeshiko:

The speech contest was in full swing. I watched from the audience as the 1st grade representative was called up to the podium and given time to present his speech. The young boy gave a simple speech about his interests, a normal speech for a kid of young age.

I walked backstage, where the other representatives were waiting before presenting their speech, to see the various representatives sitting in seats close to the stage watching the 1st grader give his speech. I read the expression of each representative carefully, and each seemed to be nervous in their own way. The 5th grade representative in particular was wearing a thick outer-character, as usual, but seemed as if she wanted to get the contest done as soon as possible. Maybe she's nervous, or she could just be disinterested in the whole thing.

I looked around and spotted the other guardians. Hotori-kun was checking on the other representatives, making sure that their speeches were in check. Giving a quick smile to the king's chair, I turned and spotted Soma-kun and was surprised to see him sitting in a chair in the far corner, wearing a frown. He looked disinterested, not as much as Hinamori-san, but also a bit frustrated. I could only imagine why.

Making my way over to the jack's chair, I stopped in front of him and asked, "Soma-kun, are you feeling alright?" I silently prayed hoping he and Hotori-kun weren't still fighting.

My expression turned into shock as Soma-kun turned to me and said sarcastically, "Well, what do you think, because the high-and-mighty king over there seems to be in the best mood ever." His face was showed resentment, a trait Soma-kun hardly ever displayed, being used to all of the teamwork required for sports.

Despite my great effort not to show it, my tone came out as exasperated with a touch of pity, "Soma-kun, is this about the rumors? I want you to know that we don't…" I got cut off as Soma-kun interrupted my sentence.

"Well, I guess that doesn't really matter as long as Hotori gets all of the credit for the hard work we do thanks to all of his followers"

I was rendered speechless. He couldn't possibly think that, we are his friends. Hotori-kun is his friend. He doesn't do it on purpose! As I was about to respond, Hotori-kun overheard the conversation and his expression turned serious as he said, "Soma-kun, you have no reason to think that everything that happens is of my own accord. Just because I am the King's chair, doesn't mean I have the sudden ability to put into the students' minds that the King's chair is the 'best'. I didn't want to believe it at first, but maybe you really are jealous of my position and want it as well."

I took a step back, unsure of what to do with the situation. Soma-kun's next sentence immediately made me think that it would go out of hand, "Well, I'm the better choice for it."

Worried, and in an attempt to try to calm them down, I said, "Soma-kun, Hotori-kun please calm down." Turning to Soma-kun I added, "What gave you this idea that Hotori-kun is so vain as to actually put himself higher than the other guardians? What made you think that we talk about you behind your back?"

Hotori-kun stayed silent and turned his head to the stage. When Soma-kun stayed silent as well, I sighed and took a glance at the events on stage. The 3rd grade representative had finished her speech, and Yaya-chan was motioning for the 4th grade representative to come up and give his speech. "Amu-chii, your turn is after this one!" Yaya-chan exclaimed cheerfully walking up to Hinamori-san.

Hinamori-san gave a sigh of disinterest before standing up and asking, "Whatever. Just help me find my speech." I watched slowly as Hinamori-san gave short responses to Yaya-chan's questions before catching something Hotori-kun mumbled under his breath.

"I can only imagine that a _certain person_ might be motivated enough to…" The king mumbled giving a quick glance at Soma-kun.

I gave a small gasp. Hotori-kun was hardly ever this… rude. "Hotori-kun, you can't possibly think that…"

Unfortunately, I wasn't the only one who caught what Hotori-kun said. Soma-kun abruptly stood up and slammed his hand on the table beside him shouting while trying not to bother the other speeches, "I would never do anything like that! It's bad enough that Hotori doesn't trust me, but now Fujisaki, too?"

I shook my head, "Soma-kun I didn't mean it like that…" But before I could finish my sentence, Soma-kun had stormed off. I bit my lip in worry before asking Hotori-kun, "What happened? How did all of this start in the first place? You were such great friends and now…" Hotori-kun simply shook his head and walked away mumbling that he had to go to the bathroom. Exasperated, I sat down in the chair, unsure what to do.

Hearing applause, I turned towards the stage to see that the 4th grade representative had finished his speech and was stepping off of the stage. I heard Yaya-chan came back saying that Hatoba-san found Hinamori-san's speech and gave it to her before ushering her onto the stage. Biting my lip once more, I felt a bit guilty. Although I hadn't meant what I said to be taken as offense, it still hurt Soma-kun… That means I have to apologize.

I stood up to walk out of the room before Yaya-chan stopped me, "Hey, Naddy is Kukai okay? He and Tadase were being a bit scary earlier."

I replied to Yaya-chan saying, "It's nearly the same as what happened the other day in the royal garden. I was going to go see if he was alright, do you want to come?" Yaya-chan nodded, and we rushed down the hall to find Soma-kun.

Kukai: 

I ended up in the library. Standing in an aisle, I put a hand on the shelf and said, "I can't believe they thought I did it! I trusted them…"

A sound of footsteps shuffling sounded from behind me and a voice asked, "Do you hate your friends that much?" I froze for a moment before whipping around. A man who looked a lot like the new 5th grade teacher stood in the room. He continued, "You can't trust anything anymore, can you? Some people just put themselves first… Isn't this proof that friendship is all a fraud?" I glared at the man.

Emotions overcame me, more than before, and I clutched my chest trying to contain it all. Falling to my knees, Daichi's egg rolled in front of me. Now lying on the ground I shouted in frustration, "I don't understand anything anymore! I can't believe in myself…" Confusion and unexplainable emotions swarmed around me, making everything all the more frustration.

The man gave a sadistic smile and said, "Don't worry about that, you'll make a great X-egg." I gave a smirk from my place on the ground. _I knew it_.

I got up from my place on the ground as if the weight making me fall to the ground in frustration weren't there at all in the first place. "X-egg…" I muttered as I started to laugh. Still chuckling, my buddy Daichi finally popped out of his confinement, his egg, and gave a smile similar to mine. Standing up on my feet, I said with a smirk, "Caught you red-handed Nikaidou-sensei."

The bewildered look on the teachers face almost made me laugh out loud again when Fujisaki and Yaya rushed into the room. I turned around, still chuckling a bit, and gave them a quick smile and wave as Hotori finally came out from behind another bookshelf. "Nice acting, Soma-kun, I think we got him pretty good" he said.

I gave him a thumbs-up and replied, "I try. Your acting was pretty good, too." We gave each other a high-five, as the teacher scowled at us. Fujisaki and Yaya seemed to be gaping at the scene in confusion.

Hotori took a few steps forward and pointed at the man, saying to the two confused girls "This is how he's been turning people's eggs into X-eggs," Hotori explained to the two girls as he pointed to the man before them.

I nodded and said to Nikaidou-sensei, "Now we've got proof! Everything that's been happening really has been your fault!" The man scowled at us.

Fujisaki and Yaya looked from Hotori and I to the vaguely familiar teacher and back to us again, "What's going on?" Fujisaki asked. Yaya added something along the lines of being upset because we didn't tell her anything.

I pulled out the letter Yamabuki gave me, showed it to them, and said, "You've heard about this letter talking about us, right? Hotori would never write something like this. If I couldn't figure that out, I might as well just not be a guardian."

Hotori nodded and added, "Soma-kun asked me about it immediately, and with the information you've helped retrieve, we concocted a plan to lure Nikaidou-sensei out."

Unsurprisingly, Fujisaki only smiled and said, "Figures you two would come up with something like this. It's a shame I didn't notice earlier. It's admirable how you managed to piece it all together." Yaya didn't seem so forgiving and started complaining about how we were terrible for keeping it from her. After not doing such a great job at calming her down, Hotori stepped in.

He gave a smile and said, "Sorry Yuiki-san, but 'to deceive your enemies, you must begin with your friends.'" Yaya pulled on a baby face and stated that she wouldn't forgive us. We gave her some nervous smiles.

Turning back to the task at hand, Hotori and I faced Nikaidou once more, giving him a look of determination, I said, "I'm me, and Tadase's Tadase, we're different, but it doesn't matter what others think as long as we're being ourselves and giving it our all."

Hotori nodded in agreement, "We're friends, and we wouldn't do anything to harm each other."

I shared a glance with him and said, "But fighting every now and then leaves everything fresh, don't you think?" Hotori gave a reply in agreement, speaking of how we could've made it flashier. Almost beaming with energy and ready I replied, "You wanna go again?" Hotori and I started to laugh.

Temari peeked out from behind Fujisaki, as did the other guardian characters, and shared their own commentary, about the strong bond we had. They were totally right.

Nikaidou-sensei was still standing strong at the end of the room and simply said without any emotion, "Looks like my time to leave this school has come. Whatever, I don't have any more use of this place, I did get some handy souvenirs after all." We glared at the man. Tension hung in the room after the light conversation and set an ominous feel for what was going to be said next.

"What do you mean by 'souvenirs'?" Fujisaki asked. She said that like she was cautious of what he might do next.

The creepy man casually raised a brief case and replied, "Oh, just some files from all the students in the academy, and a powerful X-egg for my new plan."

Fear penetrated my face, only imagining what he might have in mind. Shouting in frustration, "What do you mean 'a powerful X-egg'? Your plan here failed!"

Nikaidou-sensei raised his hand and smiled sadistically once more. I froze in realization. He was using that fear and anger to his advantage. Everything else was blocked out as Daichi cried out, his egg trapping him inside. I could faintly hear myself crying out, "Daichi!" I've never been in this position before. Daichi was going to be taken away from me. I rushed forward and reached out to grab Daichi as the man ran forward at the same time.

"Character transform, Yuiki-san!" Hotori frantically said to Yaya as my fingers grazed the surface of Daichi's egg. Hotori seemed to have character-changed, because a yellow blob of a jello-like thing came rushing past. Unfortunately, Nikaidou-sensei had dodged quickly, forcing me to move before he would take me down. That made me turn around and before I knew it, part of me was trapped by Hotori's yellow blob of a jello-like thing.

I cursed as Nikaidou-sensei got his hands on Daichi's egg, putting a tape over the egg before Daichi could break out. Fujisaki had character changed and I unconsciously moved away from her direction as she swung a spear-like thing around in an attempt to 'slice him into a thousand pieces', and Hotori had made another attempt to catch him as Yaya used her team of ducks to attack him. Before I knew it, the jello-stuff had disappeared and I sat on the ground, speechless and upset.

Nikaidou-sensei still managed to get Daichi, even after we trapped him with our plan.

The Auditorium: 

As Hinamori Amu finished ad-libbing her speech, speaking about social status, after failing to find the draft she worked on, the audience applauded. Amazing, typical for their special "cool and sassy Hinamori Amu"

That was ten minutes ago, however, and the audience had been waiting for that amount of time for the last representative.

After Soma Kukai failed to appear, he was disqualified and the prize was given to Hinamori Amu's ad-libbed speech.

If only they knew what had happened.

* * *

><p><strong>Note: This took me some time because of school and a lack of motivation. The reply to the reviewer was written and finished on the day the review was sent, the other stuff is what took a while. I apologize again if this story was confusing, and if the characters were OOC. Also, I can't promise that another chapter will be coming soon. This was finished within the time span of five days simply because the guest reviewer forced me to be motivated in order to write a response to them. Next time I get the motivation, inspiration, and chance I will compose another chapter, but for now it's still on-hold until I finish "Confidential Winx". And again, I will not reply to or accept another guest review.<strong>


	12. A Stellar Plan

Without the Joker Chapter 12: A Stellar Plan

* * *

><p><span>Third Person<span>

Yuu Nikaido stood in an office on the outskirts of the city, examining his machine full of x-eggs. He smirked in satisfaction, and said in a voice far darker than his cheerful teacher voice, "This should be plenty of x-eggs. The completion of the embryo is at hand." He looked at Daichi's egg, which sat in a cage beside the machine, "Especially since I've got a special egg."

From within his egg, Daichi pounded on the egg shell and shouted, "What kind of seal is this?!" The guardian character had been trapped in the egg ever since Yuu took him.

Yuu Nikaido replied, "It's a special tape made just for Guardian Eggs. You won't be able to get out."

Daichi growled and shouted, but Yuu paid no attention to him.

Later on, Yuu walked through a bookstore on his cell phone, using his cheerful voice, "Right now? But I just came here to find a book for my research!" He stopped at a certain point on the shelf and said, "Fine, fine! Anyway, just leave it to me. The day you deliver the embryo to our lord is already here." He pulled a thick brown book off of the shelf and said, "Now then, excuse me." He hung up and stuffed the phone into his pocket.

There was no need to doubt. Yuu Nikaido was confident and well-aware that that day was already here. The completion of the embryo with all of those x-eggs and the special egg, his special project, would make him the winner. With that machine, he knew that he would be able to beat Yukari Sanjo in the competition to present the embryo to their lord.

He said under his breath in a dark voice, "Working my way to the top of Easter isn't just a dream." His thoughts were interrupted by a child reading a magazine on robots.

The child's excitement on robots and building them reminded the teacher of what he used to be as a kid before an unfortunate event happened. He himself used to be a huge robot fanatic as a kid. Yuu Nikaido faltered for a moment in taking the child's egg, and then turned around and walked away completely.

He couldn't let that stop him from retrieving the embryo.

Later that night, Yuu walked through an underground tunnel. He paused in his step, and said, "Ikuto Tsukiyomi, you can come out from hiding."

Ikuto, with a cat guardian character floating above his shoulder, stepped in front of Yuu. He said in a serious tone, "You took a guardian character of the guardians." His eyes narrowed accusingly at Yuu and Ikuto asked, "What are you planning?"

Yuu scoffed and asked, "Are the higher ups of Easter asking you to find out what I'm up to since I've flown under the radar, puppet of Easter?

Ikuto mentally glared at Yuu, not daring to show the emotion on his face, and replied, "Shut up."

Yuu smirked, "They can't trust Yukari and your sister to get x-eggs, and so they ordered you to shadow me and make sure I'm doing my job." Ikuto flinched as he continued on, "Wasn't your sister singing in the mall, character-changed with her guardian character and extracting x-eggs? Your efforts to save your sister are futile. Wasn't Yukari telling your sister, Utau Hoshina, that if she extracted enough eggs with her guardian character, Il, she could somehow save you from Easter?" He almost laughed as he said, "How does it feel to be used… just like a puppet."

Ikuto glared at Yuu and said to his guardian character, Yoru, "Character Trans-" He was cut off when a dark-purple energy hit him and forced him to tumble backwards.

Yuu said, "Don't bother." He turned around and began walking away, "Go tell the director that he doesn't need to worry. I've got things under control."

* * *

><p><span>Tadase<span>

The guardians and I sat in the royal garden. It was two days after the speech contest and Yuiki-san, Fujisaki-san, Soma-kun, and I were sorting through paper work. I looked at Nikaido-sensei's resume and his other paperwork and sighed. I said aloud to the other guardians, "Looks like everything on Nikaido-sensei's resume is false."

Soma-kun added, "Yeah, and he also stopped working at Seiyo Academy."

Fujisaki-san nodded and said, "Yes, and these papers also say that he is actually a part of Easter. His goal is to turn people's heart egg into x-eggs, and possibly get the embryo."

Yuiki-san abruptly jumped up and shouted, "I can't believe he took Daichi, and got away with it! Not only that, but he's tried with so many other kids, too!" I flinched at her sudden action, but nodded along.

I pushed my feelings of insecurity and nervousness aside and said, "We need to get Daichi-san back as soon as possible. There's no telling what Nikaido-sensei plans on doing with him."

Fujisaki-san turned to Soma-kun with concern and asked, "Aren't you worried about what might happen to Daichi-kun?"

Soma-kun gave a confident smile, "It's alright. I know he can hold out until we find him. Besides, we're the guardians. If we can help the students through hard times, we'll have no problem helping Daichi and each other through tough times, too." Fujisaki-san smiled, and I nodded in agreement.

Yuiki-san nodded rapidly and said, "Alright! Let's go!" Her eyes shined with determination.

But before she could get too excited and do something rash, Soma-kun interrupted her and asked, "And where do you plan on going?"

Yuiki-san looked at Soma-kun in confusion and asked, "Aren't we going into Easter?"

Soma-kun replied matter-of-factly, "And if we did that, we'd be caught immediately by security."

I nodded, "Yes, we need a plan. Nikaido-sensei may not even be in Easter's main office right now. We need to find out where Nikaido-sensei is located before we do anything else." I made eye contact with Kiseki, and my guardian character nodded and floated to the middle of the table.

He crossed his arm and had his chin up as he announced, "Looks like it's our turn to take the reins."

Pepe floated up in the air and joined him and added with determination, "We'll be able to locate where Daichi is, no problem! It's time for the One Way or Another Radar to activate!"

Fujisaki-san looked doubtful and asked in worry, "Are you sure this will be able to properly locate Daichi-kun?"

"This method is better than nothing," I replied. Deep down I was also doubtful, but the situation required a strong leader. And my outer character made sure of it. Besides, Daichi-san was in trouble, and we needed to do all that we could with confidence.

* * *

><p><span>Utau<span>

It was yet another boring job. Only this time I was stuck in a boring false fortune-teller's stupid television show as a guest. As an interviewer asked if I believed in supernatural things, I mentally scoffed. But didn't dare show it on camera, it would ruin my image.

The show couldn't be more absurd. Of course I believe in supernatural things, there were guardian characters, right? My own guardian character floated in front of me, obviously as bored as I was and eager for some 'action.'

Il was high-strung, and excited every time we character changed to collect x-eggs. It's not a bad thing, her excitement for 'action.' But, sometimes, I doubt myself.

What if what I'm doing isn't right? I sometimes ask myself, is this really the way to save Ikuto? Beat the 'person he's working for' or whatever in a contest to find the embryo first? Is he not going to get punished? Sometimes I worry for him, and wonder if my getting involved would help him out.

But then I scold myself for becoming as soft as my other guardian character.

* * *

><p><span>Yaya<span>

Yaya and her friends were somewhere in the middle of town, looking for Daichi. Then, Yaya whispered to Pepe-tan, "Pepe-tan, any reaction from the One Way or Another Radar yet?"

Kukai gave Yaya a look and asked, "Why are you whispering to her?"

Yaya replied with determination, "We're on reconnaissance, we can't look conspicuous!"

Kukai nodded and said, "Oh." Then Yaya's friends came along! Yaya's friends wanted to talk to the guardians and saw us!

Naddy noticed Yaya's friends and said, "Conspicuous isn't possible when we're wearing our capes."

Yaya turned around and asked because she was confused, "Huh, really?"

Then, out of nowhere, Pepe-tan asked, "Temari, did you feel it too?"

Temari nodded and Kiseki explained, "A guardian character's presence is nearby!"

Yaya asked hopefully, "Really?"

Kukai said, "Okay, let's go, guys!" Yaya and the guardians ran down the street and followed the guardian characters.

* * *

><p><span>Third Person<span>

Kiseki and the guardian characters led their owners somewhere in the center of the city. He looked around and said, "The presence was just around here."

Tadase, Yaya, Nadeshiko, Kukai, and the guardian characters walked past a hedge and then turned to their right to see a crowd gathered at the front of a café. "What's with all these people?" Kukai asked.

Nadeshiko suggested in her usual calming voice, "Maybe a television broadcast is being filmed." However, she sounded unsure and looked at the crowd with as much confusion as Kukai.

Yaya squinted at the crowd before raising her hand and saying, "Yaya will go investigate." Yaya then snuck into the crowd before the other guardians could say anything. She overheard conversation about the fortune teller Saeki Nobuko being late and Yaya immediately raced back to the other guardians giddy with excitement. "Saeki Nobuko is coming! We need to go watch! Please, please, please?"

Nadeshiko sighed and said, "Now's not the time for that." She turned to Tadase, "Hotori-kun, we need to continue tracking down that signal."

Tadase's face didn't change from its seriousness and determination. The king's chair replied, "But if the signal leads to this general area, then the broadcasting going on here might have a clue as to where Daichi-san might be."

That was enough to convince Kukai, and the jack's chair said, "Yeah, let's go watch!"

Nadeshiko sighed in defeat, "Alright then." Yaya ran over to the crowd and pushed through to try to get to the front. Kukai was quick to follow, and Tadase and Nadeshiko apologized to the people standing in the crowd as they slipped by. As the queen's chair apologized to a man for bumping into him, she asked Temari, "Is the signal still here?"

Temari nodded, "Yes. It should be right up ahead." Then she froze and stopped Nadeshiko, "Wait…"

Nadeshiko looked at her with curiosity and asked, "What is it?"

Temari responded, "I…" she hesitated, "I think there's another signal. There are two guardian characters in this area besides us."

Nadeshiko gave Temari a surprised look and said in disbelief, "Two?" She sighed sadly and said, "Then it can't be Daichi. Kukai only has one character."

Nadeshiko's suspicions were confirmed as the shooting for the television show ended, due to Saeki Nobuko failing to show up because of a make-up crisis. Yaya shouted in uncontrollable excitement as she finally reached the front of the crowd, "Oh my gosh, it's Utau Hoshina!"


	13. Voice of a Devil

**Without the Joker Chapter 13: Voice of a Devil**

Nadeshiko

Forgetting about my manners for a brief second, I push my way towards the front of the departing crowd to see Utau Hoshina, just as Yaya-chan said. The idol was staring at us with an unreadable expression as her manager and stylists fussed over her. Yaya-chan's expression was beyond excited, Soma-kun had his head tilted and eyes closed as if trying to remember her, and Hotori-kun was biting on the nail of his thumb, something I haven't seen him do in a while. I looked over at Kiseki-kun, and he seemed to be just as troubled.

I grab Hotori-kun's wrist and whisper to him, "Stop biting your nails, it's not good for them."

Hotori-kun dropped his hand and sighed, whispering to me, "Daichi-kun isn't here. The signals must've come from Hoshina-san and her guardian characters. However, Hoshina-san may know the location of Nikaido-sensei and Daichi-kun since she works for Easter."

I processed this information and nodded, "If that's the case, then we need to approach her carefully and ask her." I also thought over the information on her two potential guardian characters. If she had two, she would be even more dangerous than she currently is. I looked at her shoulder, a devil-like guardian character floated above it. I didn't see another guardian character of hers around, but it could show up at any time."

As if I had jinxed it, Soma-kun had walked up to Hoshina-san cheerfully and asked, "Hey, do you know where Yuu Nikaido-sensei is?" Hotori-kun and I gaped as he casually approached our enemy with his endless energy.

Hoshina-san raised an eyebrow and asked, "Why would you need to know where Yuu Nikaido is?"

Soma-kun's gaze flickered to Hoshina-san's guardian character for a brief second before returning his attention to her and replying casually, "'Cause he took my guardian character, and is planning to use him for some big scheme of his."

I could've sworn I saw Hoshina-san's eye twitch, but she said with no change of tone, "And you really expect me to tell you where he is?"

To our surprise, Soma-kun nodded and said, "Yeah."

I noticed then that Hoshina-san's gaze flickered over to Hotori-kun for a brief moment. Before I could question it, Hoshina-san replied, "Nikaido has been staying in his office lately. Four blocks west of the river near that new café downtown. If he's not there, he's probably off somewhere downtown extracting x-eggs. I'm telling you simply because I don't approve of his tactics regardless if we're both from Easter."

As Soma-kun thanked the idol, I sighed in relief. I turned to Hotori-kun to tell him that we should go before I noticed the expression on his face. I paused, and looked at him with concern. His expression wore an unwavering seriousness paired with suspicion of the idol. I then realized that we still couldn't trust the idol. She may have had hidden intentions with that information. But I also noticed that Hotori-kun's eyes were a thicker curtain covering hidden emotions.

Before I could question him about it, Soma-kun grabbed mine and Yaya-chan's wrists and ran off shouting, "Come on! We have an idea on where we should go now! We have to move fast!" My train of thought was halted and I had to think about the task at hand.

Utau

Tadase Hotori stayed standing there. The kid still had some more questions. He finally spoke up and asked me, "Hoshina-san, since you work for Easter, do you know what they plan to do once they obtain the embryo? Are your own goals to obtain the embryo and hand it over to them?"

I thought over my words carefully, making sure not to give too much information, before replying, "If Nikaido obtains the embryo, he'll hand it over to the director. If my manager, Sanjo-san, obtains the embryo, she'll be the one to hand it over to the director. In case you are concerned, those two are the superiors in Easter that are in charge of obtaining the embryo."

Tadase asked in confusion, "Why would they give the embryo to someone else?"

I mentally rolled my eyes at the kid's innocent little mind. I'm certainly not an adult, especially one as insane as Nikaido. I made sure to stay indifferent as I replied, "Who knows? I'm not an adult."

Tadase's expression softened, and I froze, facial expression unchanging. I had a feeling what was coming next, and I feared _that event_ being brought up. Tadase sighed and said in his more childish and kind voice, asking, "Utan, what happened to you and Ikuto-nii-san? Why did you guys join Easter? What made you do it?" He was hopelessly confused.

I pushed my emotions away from my little-brother-figure, and forced myself to give a response. The kid doesn't know anything. He doesn't know how hard the 'real world' really is. I replied, "Wouldn't you like to know? I can't speak for Ikuto, but I can say for myself that I'm doing this solely for Ikuto. I'm going to get the embryo, and use it to save him from Easter once and for all." I glared at him, daring him to prove me wrong, and added, "And I won't use any petty tricks like Nikaido does."

Tadase bit his lip, obviously nervous and thinking of something. He sighed and said in the tone he used with enemies, "Hoshina-san, I do hope you realize what you're getting into. How do you expect Ikuto Tsukiyomi to be happy once you've freed him from Easter with the embryo, if you're still trapped in their clutches?" Tadase turned and ran off with his guardian character, following his friends.

I thought over his words.

Third Person

As Kukai, Yaya, and Nadeshiko raced down the street, Nadeshiko panted, exhausted, and shouted at Kukai, "Soma-kun, wait!"

Kukai did not wait, and turned around and shouted to Nadeshiko while walking backwards, "What, Fujisaki?"

Nadeshiko was far too tired to act exasperated at Kukai's endless eagerness to race to Yuu Nikaido's home, and stopped running altogether to catch her breath, "We've run for ten blocks, Soma-kun. We need a break. We'll still get to Nikaido-sensei's office in time."

Yaya stopped moving and dug her heels into the ground forcing Kukai, who was dragging her along, to stop as well. Kukai said grudgingly, "Fine. But, we've got to get moving soon! I don't want Nikaido-sensei to get his greasy hands on Daichi for too long."

Yaya pointed to a restaurant and said, "Hey, that's the new café Hoshina-sama was talking about!" The ace chair bounced up in down in giddiness of the possibility to eat sweets and chanted, "Yaya wants a treat! Let's go, let's go!"

Nadeshiko raised an eyebrow and asked, "Since when did you call her Hoshina_-sama_?"

Yaya's eyes sparkled as she replied, "Utau-sama's like a goddess! The perfect role model! Yaya wants Utau-chii to be Yaya's best friend!"

A bead of sweat traveled down the side of Nadeshiko's face as she deadpanned, "It won't happen if you keep up that inconsistency of honorifics."

Kukai protested in response to Yaya wanting to go to the café, "We can take a quick break, but going to that café would take too long! We need to get going again, soon."

Temari asked in concern, "But what about Hotori-kun?"

"Hotori?" Kukai looked around, having not noticed that Tadase wasn't with them and cursed, "Oh, come on! Where's the king? Wasn't he with us earlier?"

Nadeshiko said in worry, "He might've gotten left behind."

Pepe added, "You were going super fast, ten blocks in less than ten minutes."

Kukai wasn't ready to stop and wait for Tadase. The jack was worried about his guardian character, and, as such, replied, "But we have to get to Nikaido's office quickly! If we take too long, we might lose our chance to stop him and get Daichi back."

Yaya raised her hand, nearly jumping, and said, "Yaya will wait for Tadase here! Kukai and Naddy can go on ahead, and do the super-duper-ambush!"

Temari gave her and Pepe and suspicious look and said, "You just want to get some sweets from that café." Yaya and Pepe nodded with a large grin, and Temari sighed.

Kukai ignored Temari's comment, and high-fived Yaya, saying, "Thanks Yaya! It's a deal then, Yaya waits here for Hotori, and then they'll join Fujisaki and me after we rush into Nikaido-sensei's office!"

Nadeshiko nodded and said to Yaya, "Don't eat _too_ many sweets, and catch up with us, soon!" Kukai then ran off, shouting to Nadeshiko to hurry up. Nadeshiko ran after Kukai shouting, Soma-kun, wait up!"

_**To be continued...**_


End file.
